Unexpected Encounters
by Lurker128
Summary: Where was Spider-Man? Rose Evans steps in after his absence. She isn't a hero by any standards, and certainly hasn't been bitten by a radioactive spider; But what happens when an enemy outside this world poses a bigger threat than what she or Spider-Man can handle? What secrets will she uncover about herself? Avengers. Post TASM2. Peter/OC
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay, so I had this idea playing around in my head for a while and FINALLY decided to write it out. Let's see how it goes. If you're wondering who I am basing my character off of, I imagine her as Holland Roden, (Very bare-faced, though.) For those who are serious Gwen/Peter shippers, trust me I share your love! I totally love G/P but I wan't to keep with the story. So, enjoy! Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Marvel, or Spider-Man ideas, just my character and plot bunnies in my noggin. BTW, the timeline will be a little wacky and not entirely accurate you'll realize further in the story, but it's necessary for how I plan this story to be. So, sorry if that bothers anyone, but I will try to keep it flowing in a natural sense.**

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**7:14 AM, Wednesday December 18th, 2013**

"Uuungh." I opened my eyes slowly, feeling like my body was hit by a ton of bricks and blinked slowly, coming to.

Looking at my phone, I felt the panic rise in my chest at the time. "Shit! Shit! Shit!" I jumped out of bed, picked a pair of dirty jeans off the floor and struggled to pull them on while rushing to the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth. There was no time to style my hair, I dully noted seeing the tangled rat's nest that lay atop my head.

Grabbing the first shirt I could reach, I pulled it over my head and grabbed my bag and paintings before running out the door, rushing down the stairs and out the building.

* * *

"Ms. Evans, you're late."

I grinned guiltily at my collector, Tammy Wilkins. She was not the friendliest of people but she bought my art, and in retrospect, paid my bills, so I tried to stay on her good side. "I'm sorry, Tammy- Eh, Ms. Wilkins," I corrected myself, trying to be formal in front of the client she had next to her.

Tammy looked at me, nonplussed and turned to the man next to her. "Mr. Henderson, this is Rose Evans. She is the number one supplier to this gallery. The beauty in her works is quite contradictory to her outward appearance."

"Hey!" I protested, mildly offended, patting down my hair, and standing a little straighter. Sure, I wasn't a pretentious snob like most of the people I worked with, but that didn't mean a was a slob either.

Mr. Henderson laughed jovially, catching both of us off guard. I felt my cheeks darken. "Ms. Evans, no need to be embarrassed, my wife and three daughters are always fashionably late. Must be a redheaded thing, eh?" He winked.

I chuckled in relief at his response. Most potential buyers for my work were always stuffy and lacked any type of humor. "Um, I have three different pieces here." I said, continuing the sale. I placed the work on the table, and bit my lip, hoping they would be to his liking. He rubbed his chin, leaning down and looked at each painting intently.

"You've captured the suit perfectly." He murmured. "And the detail! I can almost see every stitch! Incredible! How much for all three?"

"600." Tammy said, face unchanging. "Each."

"Each!" He laughed incredulously. "That's quite an amount, don't you think?"

"The price is set, Mr. Henderson." She continued, fixing her glasses atop the bridge of her nose. "And to me, I think this is the best portrait you'll find of the vigilante. I trust your daughters are earnest to receive the best paintings of their favorite hero, correct?"

I bit my lip and looked down, trying to keep from smiling at how great Tammy could sell my work. I heard him sigh and hold the artwork up. "Damn Spiderman. Ruining my wallet." He reached in his pocket, and pulled his wallet out. "Alright, I'll take 'em."

* * *

"Thank you, Spider-Man!" I grinned, putting the 40 percent of my earnings in my wallet. I walked out of the building and headed for the café across the street, admiring the Christmas decorations. I looked at the newsstand, before entering.

**"WHERE IS SPIDER-MAN?"**

I started to walk home, thinking about it. Where was Spider-Man? He had been missing for months. Had a criminal finally succeeded in taking him down? Impossible! He couldn't have gone down so easily.

After a few hours of painting, and watching the sun set, the thought of Spider-Man popped into my head again. But not because I was curious of where he was at, but because he was the reason for my other job. My unofficial job.

I looked into my bathroom mirror at my reflection. Red hair pulled back in a sleek ponytail, hazel eyes barely visible through the mask, my button nose peeking from the edge of my mask, and my lips pink from the cold outside. I finished zipping up my grey spandex suit, and slipped my belt and boots on, before slipping out into the night through the shadows.

I stretched on the roof before sighing before searching for signs of trouble. "Well, here we go."


	2. Chapter 2

**Enjoy!**

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Peter POV

Everything was different. Trees lost their color. Food lost its taste. He was slowly falling into a black hole. But after he was pulled out by his Aunt May, he felt the Sun shine a little brighter, and the smells of the city became more pungent. And he definitely felt the indescribable fire coarse through his veins when he saw his mini-me, standing stoically in the street, facing danger with more courage even he had in the past months.

Two months after that, he had heard whispers and small articles about someone new. Someone who had taken his place in his absence. This intrigued Peter. Because it was most certainly a woman. But from trying to find out more about her, it became a struggle because she was apparently very stealthy and did not like the public to get her pictures. She was being called Shadow for how easily she could slip into the darkness. He pulled his mask over his head and closed the window behind him, shooting his web and swinging in search for this Shadow.

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Rose POV

"Please, I have to bring my mom back her stuff!"

I was immediately engaged at the scared cry below me. I saw two thugs, most likely egocentric teens trying to bully the young kid who carried a bag of groceries.

"What? You do all your mommy's work?" One of the thugs said, smacking the bag out of the frightened child's hands, and flicking his pocket watch open and waving it around. "Where's your money?"

"I don't have any, I swear!" The young boy cried, wiping his nose on his sleeve.

"You know," I spoke slowly, picking up the grocery bag, not missing the shocked reactions of the three young men. "As cliché as the statement stands, hasn't anyone told you to pick on someone your own size?"

One of them regained their composure faster than the other, and laughed. Walking toward me, his pants sagged lower and lower, making me wonder if he would start waddling. "You know, you better get out of here, suga. Wouldn't want you to get tangled in this lil situation."

"And by your definition, your situation is threatening a child?" I retorted putting a hand to my hip. "You should go home, it's a school night, you know."

"Aha!" The boy laughed, clapping his hands, knife still out. "Naw, doll, it's Christmas break!"

I almost rolled my eyes. "I'm giving you one more chance to walk away." I said, flexing the fingers not holding the bag.

"Or what?" The other teen replied, reaching up and playing with his hood. "You gonna call our moms?" They both laughed uproariously.

With a grimace, I tried to contain my annoyance. This part of the job was harder than the actual fighting. The sexism, and the not taking me seriously. Before I had a chance to react, another voice broke in, catching even me off guard.

"You know, that's a great idea, kid!"

Suddenly, the two thugs were against the wall, trapped by a web around their wrists and ankles. "W-what!"

Spider-Man! I gaped, staring at the vigilante, watching as he lowered himself in front of the teens. He deftly reached into their jackets and pulled out their phones.

"What are you doing?" One of the teens asked, panicked. "Don't call my mom, please!"

I made myself ignore what was going on and walked to the confused and still frightened child. Lowering to his level, I gave a small wave. "Hi," I smiled, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Wanna go home?"

He nodded frantically, and grabbed my offered hand. We began to walk out of the alley, and I glanced back once more to be sure Spider-Man had it under control. He did.

"I'm Shadow." I continued in a friendly manner, trying to get the boy to calm his nerves.

"I'm Benny." He said quietly.

"That's a very nice name. I had a friend named Benny once." I talked easily, seeing him relax. "Where do you live, Benny?"

He pointed to the building across the street. In the window was a large and bright Christmas tree. "Wow! Is that your tree?" I asked, genuinely admiring its beauty.

At this, Benny perked up and smiled. "Yeah! I even helped my dad put all the stuff on it!"

"It's beautiful!"

"Yeah!" He replied, fully at ease now. "It's my favorite tree!"

When they reached the door, I knocked, and saw the shocked face of the middle aged woman who opened it. "Thanks, Shadow!" Benny waved before disappearing behind his mother.

"You! You're-!"

"Are you Benny's mother?" I asked, fighting down a blush. I wasn't one for attention, but I figured I needed to give the mother a talking to. The middle aged woman nodded, speechless, and grabbed the grocery bag I handed to her.

"Next time you tell your son to get groceries at night, make sure he's supervised."

The woman remained mute, and nodded. Before anything else could be said, I turned around and fled into the shadows. I climbed the nearest building and jumped from rooftop to rooftop before stopping to catch my breath.

"I assumed Shadow was a lot of things, but nurturing was not one of them." A voice spoke directly behind me jokingly. I jumped, and let out a startled gasp.

I expected none other than the notorious Spider-Man. Regaining my composure, I spoke. "I can be a lot of things. One of them being capable. As in, I didn't need you to step in back there."

He lifted his hands in surrender, laughing. "Whoa, whoa is that any way to thank someone who stepped in to help?"

I straightened my shoulders and looked up at him, as I was probably a foot shorter than him, but refused to appear nervous around him. How could I not be, though? I had never seen him in person, and I definitely had admired him but that wasn't going to disrupt my work out here. "Well, thank you, but next time I would appreciate it if you let me handle myself. You do what you do, and I do what I do."

I couldn't see his face, but I could almost feel a smirk radiating off of him. It was irritating. "What?" I grumbled, when he remained quiet, while I continued to feel inspected.

"So what's your power?" He asked randomly, crossing his arms. I refrained from staring at his arms as his muscles moved under the skin tight suit. I cleared my throat, and looked at the wide white masked eyes staring at me.

"What?"

Again, I felt the smirk, and blushed, knowing I had been caught staring at his muscles. "I asked what your powers are."

I licked my lips, "I don't have any."

For some reason this answer didn't seem like it was what he was expecting. His arms dropped and he tensed. "What do you mean you don't have any? What are you doing out here then?"

"You don't need powers to help others."

"No," He said more tersely. "You just need a lack of common sense, apparently."

"Are you calling me stupid?" I argued, offended, clenching my jaw. What was with this guy? Where did he get off insulting me?

"I'm calling you irresponsible." He responded, humor gone.

"How dare you!" I felt my body tense in anger. "I have been doing this for months now! I have been picking up your slack! I know perfectly well on how to defend myself!"

I noticed him clench his fists when I implied his absence, but forced myself to remain unfazed. Though really, I was afraid I had crossed a line. This definitely wasn't how I envisioned myself talking to Spider-Man for the first time.

"You don't know anything about that." He said in a low and serious tone.

Despite being intimidated, I continued on. "I'm not claiming to, but I am saying though your concern is appreciated, I am a grown woman and I have no intention of stopping. Sure, tonight you only saw me getting involved with a kid's fight, but I have looked down the barrel of a gun, I've fought off 14 men at once, I've gotten a hurt, yes. But I won't stop. I can't now, even if I tried."

Spider-Man remained silent, but eventually sighed, "Look, Darkness,-"

"Shadow."

"-It's my job to protect people. I'm trying to protect you. I've been doing this for a while, and you'll end up putting those who you care about in danger. It's not as glamorous as it seems."

Offended, I grimaced. "So you think I'm just doing this for glamour?"

"No! No, I just mean-" He grumbled in frustration, seemingly trying to find the words to say. "I just mean, aren't you worried about your family? Your boyfriend? Husband? Friends?"

With a deep sigh, I put my hand on my head. "Spidey, you don't need to worry about that, okay. Let me worry about it." The truth was my foster parents both lived in Australia, and my older estranged sister lived across the country in California. All, to which I hadn't spoken to in years. And now the other family I had here was my foster grandmother who was in a nursing home with Alzheimer's Disease. So, really, I wasn't risking much. Especially with my grandmother, having not known who I was anymore.

"I just need you to kn-"

A scream caused both of us to go into alert, and we both rushed to the sound. Spider-Man swinging, down, reaching the gas station faster than me. When I heard a gunshot go off, I willed my legs to run faster. When I reached the store, I peeked though the glass doors, remaining unseen for the moment and inspecting the situation.

A robber was standing at the counter with a gun pointing to the man behind the register. There was another cashier, beside him with her hands up, looking terrified. She must have been the one to scream and cause the robber to fire a warning shot.

"Hurry up!" The robber yelled impatiently, looking around. He was probably anticipating the hooded vigilante to appear any moment. Without wasting any more time, I busted through the door as fast as I could, and dodged the bullet the whizzed past me. I grabbed the man's hand holding the gun before he could react, and twisted his arm, effectively causing him to yell in pain at the odd angle. He wasn't giving up easy, though, I realized as he reached up to yank my head back by my hair, and then smashing his head against mine.

I grunted at the force. The guy had a dense head. No shocker.

At that moment, Spider-Man intervened with another smart ass remark, and had him tangled up in his web, hanging from the ceiling. I quickly left to avoid too much exposure, but stuck around hidden to hear. He turned to the cashier. "Now would be a good time to call the police." He looked from the cashier to the woman.

"Ma'am." He tipped an invisible hat on his head, and headed out the store.

He looked around. Was he trying to find me? I quieted my breathing, and remained silent. It must have worked because after lingering a moment more, he looked up, shot his web and disappeared into the city.

I slouched in relief. Maybe next time our encounter wouldn't be so tense.

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	3. Chapter 3

**Enjoy**!

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It had been a couple weeks since meeting Spider-Man, and despite going out every night to do my vigil duty, we hadn't crossed paths again. It was a big city after all. I sat on my apartment floor, frustrated. I was lacking inspiration for a new painting and Tammy had told me to have another four prepared within the next two weeks.

I groaned, lowering my back to the floor to stare at the ceiling. I waved the paintbrush in the air, pretending to paint the ceiling before feeling a glop of it fall on my face. "Oi!"

I wiped at the lilac paint on my cheek, effectively spreading it. At the same moment, my phone began to ring, and I got up with a huff, still in pain from a late evening out. "Hello?" I answered, trying to rub the paint off.

"Hi, Ms. Evans? Ms. Rose Evans?"

"Yes?" I asked, feeling an unsettling feeling in my gut. "This is her."

"Ms. Evans, this is Doctor Howard Holvik at Mercy Hospital. Are you the granddaughter of Anette Evans?"

I quickly grabbed my bag and coat, already heading for the door. "Yes, yes! Is she alright? What's happened?"

"Ms. Evans, I'm sorry to inform you, but you are the only emergency contact we could get a hold of; It seems as though your grandmother suffered a stroke at around eleven o' clock this morning. The staff at her home contacted us right away."

"Is she alright!?" I repeated, hailing a cab, and giving the address quickly.

"She… I can give details when you get here. But she is stable right now. Unresponsive, but stable."

"I'll be there in five minutes." I told him before we hung up.

I held my head in my hands. I knew it was inevitable, but still the thought of losing my grandmother was scary. Then I would really be alone. I visited her everyday and despite her not remembering I still believe she took comfort in my presence and I took comfort in hers.

SMSMSM

I held my grandmother's hand and gave it a lingering kiss.

A hand on my shoulder had me open my eyes. I didn't take them off my grandmother, though. "Dear…."

I looked at Nurse Parker sadly. She had a softness in her gaze that I took a small comfort in. "Oh, Rose… I'm so sorry." Her hand gently patted my head.

Nurse May Parker had been the only hospital staff I had connected with in the past three days that I had been here, at my grandmother's side. She was the only one who actually seemed to try and connect with the patients and their families. She was kind hearted, and truly genuine. I had instantly leaned on her for support. A much harder job on her, I'm sure, but she never failed to offer her regards and support. She had even gone out of her way on one of her days off and took me out for lunch. I ended up paying, but her presence was payment enough.

"Ms. May… You guys need to remove her now, don't you?" I asked quietly, referring to the body. My stomach was in knots, and my throat felt like it was being clogged by a handful of cotton balls.

"Yes. I'm sorry." She whispered, looking indeed just that.

I nodded silently, untangling my hand from my grandmother's and leaning over her cold body to kiss her forehead. "Now you and Grandpa are together again. Love you, Nana."

I sniffed pathetically, avoided Ms. May's stare and grabbed my coat and bag. Silently, I walked out of the room, Ms. May in step behind me.

"Is there anyone home for you?" She asked, trying to get me to make eye contact. I wanted to lie and say yes, so she wouldn't pity me more but I couldn't make myself. Not to the only person who had shown me such kindness and empathy.

"No." I mumbled, hoarsely. "I…I'm alone."

"Come to my house." She offered kindly with an eagerness to her tone.

I wanted so badly to say yes. But I couldn't burden her and her family with a grieving woman. On New Year's Eve, no less. "No, Ms. May, please don't feel sorry for me. I will be okay. You go home with your family."

"Nonsense." She waved, as if what I had said hadn't even phased her. "Nobody should ever be alone when they're grieving, especially on the holidays. It's just my nephew and I, and I think you should come. I could make a nice dinner…"

I felt my eyes water and tried to find anything in her eyes that would tell me she wanted me to refuse, but found nothing. Just tenderness. "Okay," I nodded. "Are you sure?"

She smiled softly and held my shoulders. "Absolutely. Now, if you don't mind waiting for me in the waiting room; I still have another fifteen minutes before my shift's over."

"Okay." I hugged her quickly. "Thank you, Ms. May."

"You're welcome, dear." She smiled, and patted my cheek before sending me away.

This night Spider-Man would have to tackle the streets alone.

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Review? Please?


	4. Chapter 4

I got a review! Thank you to Ebony95, you rock my socks. And thank you to those who have Favorited and followed! I hope to hear you feedback as well. Here is a longer chapter. You'll notice throughout my story I jump a lot from Rose 1person POV, to Peter's POV quite frequently. It's what works for me. Let me know what you think. Enjoy, friends!

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**Peter POV**

It was a slow night to be out, (so far), Peter thought as he swung from building to building. He was sure once it neared closer to midnight, the craziness would begin. He heard his phone go off in his backpack, and slung himself on top a high building making sure he was out of sight. He pulled his phone out. "Hey Aunt May."

"Peter," His aunt spoke sounding rushed and whispering. "I need you to pick up some garlic bread from the store. We are having someone over tonight."

"Aunt May," Peter tried to protest, to argue he'd be busy. He had no time for Aunt May's friends when there was sure to be some action tonight.

"No, Peter!" His aunt sounded especially stern, which caused him to shut his mouth. "You ARE going to be there tonight. This poor child has had a very difficult day and she has no family to support her and you and I are going to offer a very nice dinner and New Year's Celebration."

Peter groaned, already thinking up ways to avoid this. "But-"

"I'm serious, Peter. I need you to do this. For _me_."

He rubbed a hand over his face. There was no way he would argue that. "Fine. Okay, okay. I'll get garlic bread."

"And you'll be home tonight." She added, knowing how Peter's mind worked.

"And I'll be home tonight." He mumbled, already making his way to the store.

"Thank you, dear. Love you."

"Love you, too." He hung up. "Well, Shadow, you're on your own tonight."

SMSMSM

"Aunt May! I got your bread!" Peter yelled when he finally got home. He walked in the kitchen without looking up and put the bag on the counter. "The garlic kind." He added, hugging his aunt from behind as she was putting noodles into a pot.

"Peter!" She laughed, playfully pushing him away.

"So where's your friend. Did she bail?" He asked, releasing her.

A cough from behind made him spin on his toes. There he saw a young woman leaning against the counter, cradling a mug in her hands. From the wavy red hair, and the bright, albeit bloodshot, hazel eyes, he knew immediately who he was looking at. So apparently Shadow wouldn't be out in the town like he'd presumed. No, she'd be having dinner at his house.

"Um, hi." She gave a nervous wave.

SMSMSM

**Rose POV**

As soon as I heard Ms. May's nephew come through the front door, I became nervous. I wasn't exactly the most socially inclined person. But from how Ms. May was, I was sure she must have raised a well minded man.

When he came into the kitchen, he wasn't aware of my presence as he hugged his aunt. I saw the undeniable love between them and felt almost as if I should look away. I wasn't used to such familial love.

"So where's your friend. Did she bail?" He asked, releasing her. His voice sounded so familiar, but I couldn't place him. Perhaps a buyer of my work? Someone I had stepped into help with? I didn't know. But I coughed to bring myself to his attention.

When I saw his face, my breath caught in my throat. He was handsome. Scruffy brown hair, contagious smile, and his eyes. They reminded me of puppies, and I could see them roam me up and down. Not in a sexual way, it didn't feel like but as if he was scoping me out.

"Um, hi." I gave a wave, drawing his eyes back to mine.

"Peter, this is Rose. She's spending New Year's with us." May introduced, holding Peter by his arm, and waving toward me, wanting us to shake hands. "And Rose, this is my nephew, Peter. He has a habit of being late."

"Don't worry, Peter," I told him, while shaking his hand, "I myself share that habit. But only when it comes to work."

He laughed, and I couldn't help but feel that twinge of familiarity again. I put my coffee down and leaned toward him as Ms. May continued her cooking. "You know, Peter, I think we've met before. You just seem so… familiar."

He chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "I hear that a lot. I guess I just have one of those faces."

Ms. May turned her head, and said, "Maybe you two went to school together. Rose is twenty, same as you, Peter."

"Yeah!" He exclaimed, trying to pick at the garlic bread before Ms. May slapped his hand away. "It's possible."

"No," I shook my head. "I was home schooled by my grandpa."

"Oh," His shoulders sagged.

"Have you bought any of my paintings?" I continued. "From the Building off 25th?"

"You paint?" He asked, his grin getting wider.

I played with my hair nervously, not expecting the sensation of his smile toward me to affect me in such a manner. "I guess the answer to my question is no, and to yours is yes."

"You two can sit in the living room or Peter, better yet, show her around the house, you are in my way." Ms. May said, shooing us out of the kitchen.

"Whoa, there, please don't assault me with your wooden spoon!" Peter laughed as Ms. May waved the utensil threateningly at him.

"Here, I'll show you my room." Peter said, grabbing his backpack and leading me out of the kitchen and up the stairs. "So..?"

"So, what?"

Peter grinned, and threw his backpack on the floor while I examined his room. Looked like a typical teenage bedroom. Mess everywhere. "What do you paint?"

"Oh," I thought about it, and thought of my art style. "Well, I do a little of everything, I guess. I usually paint what my collector asks for, by request of buyers, but most of the time I paint from how I feel that particular day."

Peter was sitting on his bed, watching me observe his stuff. "Well, I'm sure they're great."

"Thank you." I replied, then chuckled. "Most of the time though, I paint Spider-Man, because he's what makes me the bigger bucks."

Peter threw his head back and laughed, causing that feeling in my stomach to happen again. I didn't know how I felt about that. "What?" I asked, laughing at his infectious laughter.

"I just never thought people would buy paintings of that guy!" He grinned, leaning forward on his knees, and rubbing his hands together.

"What do you mean, that guy?" I asked, feeling slightly defensive. I hoped Peter didn't hate Spider-Man because that would mean he could very well dislike Shadow, and I thought this could deter us from gaining a friendship. "He happens to be one of the courageous men of New York. He puts himself at risk to help the innocent."

I couldn't help the ramble, and hoped I hadn't appeared like a crazy woman fangirling over someone he potentially didn't even like. But when I looked at him, he just had this cute, annoying smirk on his face that caused my face to heat up faster than a summer day in California. "Did I touch a nerve?"

His smirk never left his face as I defended myself. "No, I mean, I just wanted to clarify- or rather, I wanted to let it be known my opinion of him." I managed to stutter out.

"I think he gives people hope." He said thoughtfully, before adding. "Just like Shadow."

I snapped my head toward him, feeling flattered. I knew Peter didn't know I was Shadow, but the compliment felt nice, nonetheless. "Really?" I asked, hoping to know more about how he thought of my other identity.

"Yeah," Peter nodded, crossing his arms behind his head, and leaning back. "I saw her once. She was helping someone. I wanted to say something to her, but I wasn't able to."

"Really?" I pried further. "Why not?"

"I just figured I would let her do her thing." He shrugged, then gave me a smile. Like he knew something I didn't.

"Well, I'm glad she gives people hope." I looked away, out toward the window. "Sometimes, I think this city needs people like Spider-Man and Shadow to keep it alive. Or just for people to strive to be better. Like them."

"You talk like you know them." Peter said, looking into my eyes.

"No!" I argued, hoping I hadn't given myself away. "I just mean, generally speaking."

He nodded. "Yeah, generally."

There was an almost tangible silence that filled the room after that, and I was anxious to speak. Peter beat me to it, however. "So, if you don't mind me asking, what happened?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, already knowing to what he was referring to. He gave me a blank stare.

"You lost someone." Peter stated, looking at me straight-faced. All I could do was nod. "Yes," I replied. "My grandmother. She passed away earlier today."

He raised his hand to pat my knee, but gave a second thought before moving it up to my shoulder. With what I would assume to be a empathetic pat to my arm, I continued before he could apologize like everyone did when someone faced the death of a loved on. "You don't need to say sorry. The woman was 76, and she was suffering. She's in a better place, with my grandpa. I know I'll miss her, but I also knew it was coming. Just sooner than I expected."

I hoped I hadn't sounded heartless, but that was how I felt. Peter didn't seem like he was judging me, though, so that was good. "Do you have any other family?"

I scrunched my nose and stared at the ceiling, wondering if it was normal to feel lack of emotion to the mention of my family. "I have a half sister in California, and my foster parents live in Australia. They opened up their own business firm over there or something. They send postcards from time to time."

Peter seemed to be absorbing everything I was saying with much interest. He gave a half smile, "I was about to say sorry, but I remembered you told me not to."

With a small laugh, I replied, "Yes, please don't. I'm actually very at peace with my life for the most part. I have a job I love doing and I have the freedom and capability to support myself. I don't need to rely on anyone but myself to get by. I'm blessed."

Peter searched my eyes, making me feel nervous for some reason. I broke eye contact, worrying if I had continued the stare down, my face would soon resemble the color of a tomato.

"Dinner's ready!" Ms. May called from down the stairs.

Peter got up with a little bounce in his step. "Come on, let's go eat!"

SMSMSM

Peter POV

After a surprisingly nice evening, Peter hadn't realized the ball had dropped for the New Year, and while Aunt May had fell asleep hours earlier, he and Rose had spent the entire time talking and missed it.

"Wow, I can't believe we missed the New Year countdown." Rose laughed, looking at her phone, before lifting her hands up near her face. "Happy New Years!"

"Happy 20 Minutes into the New Year!" Peter responded with sarcastic enthusiasm. She grinned at his joking tone, which he hated to admit was a very lovely smile. He briefly hoped nothing too bad had happened out in the city while the two of them stayed in his house just talking the evening away.

"I'd better head back to my apartment." She said, putting her phone away and pulling her coat on.

"Would you like me to walk you home?" Peter offered, standing up and walking to the front door with her, his hands in his pockets.

"That's kind of you, but it's not necessary." She looked at him, her eyes looking heavy. Rose had seemed incredibly tired, and when she looked out into street her body slumped a little bit. She sighed heavily, but gave him a tired smile. "Please thank your Aunt for her generosity. And thank you for putting up with me when you could have totally went out with your friends to celebrate."

He grinned at her, internally trying to think if he even had friends. Sure, co-workers at the Bugle. Not really friends. "Nah, I had a better time here. Take care, Rose."

She began to sluggishly walk down the stairs and waved at him again before walking down the street. Peter quickly took his clothes off, revealing his suit, and pulled his mask out of his bag. He pulled it over his head before slipping out the window.

Knowing she must obviously keep herself on alert at all times, he stayed as stealthy as he could as he followed her, making sure she got home safely. To his surprise, she only lived about a mile away. He crawled on the wall, watching as she entered the building and through the windows, he could see her climb the stairs to her apartment on the fifth floor. He crawled toward what should be her apartment window, and looked inside, praying he wasn't going to be caught or mistaken for a pervert.

He watched as she entered the door. Don't you dare think about going out tonight, he thought as he heard her hiss in what sounded like pain while she reached down to pull her shoes off. Peter wondered what type of injury she had. It was when he saw her start to undo jeans that he realized he wasn't going to stick around to find out. He wasn't a pervert.

With a shot of his web, he took off once more into the night toward his home. _Happy New Year._


	5. Chapter 5

**Since I have most chapters already, I'm posting these pretty frequently. So, enjoy!**

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**3:27PM, Monday, February 10th, 2014**

I was so close to finishing my best painting yet. Putting my utmost focus on the steadiness of my hand to finish the last few details, I felt like I had a burden lifted off my shoulders. I put my brush down and stepped away to admire my work. The soft colors only enhanced the beauty of the faces that were the focus of the piece.

"I miss you guys so much." I shut my eyes, forcing the tears down. I knew my grandparents were in a better place. They weren't suffering anymore. I knew that. Didn't mean I didn't miss them. I had been working on this particular painting since the passing of my grandmother, and I took my time, making sure I did it just right.

It was of my foster grandfather holding my grandmother, staring at her in a loving manner. I had remembered the picture that my foster mother had before she and my father left for Australia. I would wait until the painting dried and would hang it somewhere in this apartment. Not really anywhere to hang it, I thought looking at the cramped walls.

I'd make room.

While wiping my hands on a rag, I walked over to my table and picked up the letter I'd received in the mail earlier that morning.

It was from my sister. My estranged half sister, to which we'd be separated from in the foster care system when I was just a baby, so I really didn't know much about her, except that she was only in the system for a few years before she set off on her own adulthood experience. We had "reconnected", if that's what you wanted to call it, when I was 13. There was a fifteen year age difference between us. She had asked me if I was happy, and if I understood what had taken place with us and our family.

I didn't fully understand. But I was happy. I grew up with a loving foster family. Sure, my parents were consumed in their work, but my grandparents always filled in as parents when they couldn't. I never grew up without anything, and for that I was grateful and appreciative. I knew most kids in the system weren't so lucky.

It was when I was 17 that she wrote me for the second time, giving her condolences for my grandfather's death, and once more as my grandmother passed. I suppose it was better almost two months past to receive it, than to not received it at all.

_Rose, _

_I've heard about your grandmother. I'm very sorry, and if there's anything I can help you with, please don't be afraid to contact me. Hope you are doing well. I will be here in the city back and forth from California for the next few months for business as you might have read in the paper. Please feel free to contact me back if you feel inclined to get together. I will be giving a speech at the construction site tomorrow at noon. Address is below._

_My deepest condolences, _

_V.P._

I almost snorted at how professional she was. Even while trying to offer condolences, she almost never gave any type of emotion in any of the three letters she sent. And there was no way in hell I was about to go and watch her speech while there were paparazzi, journalists and the like there. Too risky.

"This just in, breaking news. There is a hostage situation happening right now at Union Bank on-"

I quickly tuned out the television and stripped my clothes as fast I could, wasting no time in getting my mask and suit on. I jumped out the window and ran to the destination.

**Peter POV**

"What's the situation, Chief?" Peter asked, turning to the cop as he landed on top of the patrol car.

"Spider-Man!" The cop greeted, gun pointed at the entrance of the bank. "Six robbers, fifteen hostages. We're working on coaxing them to release the hostages before anything turns messy."

Spider-Man nodded thoughtfully, quickly advising a plan in his head. It was then he heard the cops yell out "Freeze!"

He turned his attention to where they now had their guns pointed. A petite frame atop the building. Rose! Shadow. "Hold your fire, guys! She's with me."

"Are you sure?" The cop asked wearily.

"Yes," Spider-Man said seriously. "Trust me. We'll bring everyone out safely."

After a moments hesitation, the police lowered their weapon from Rose, who had already managed to get inside the building. He shot his web, and flung himself atop the building as well, trying to find the entrance to where Rose had slipped through.

Once inside the building, he relied on his senses to lead him where the victims were being held captive. He heard a faint crying a floor below him, with a woman trying to comfort someone.

He moved quickly, crossing a room with screens of where the cameras where focused on. "Thank you, Security." He whispered, locating the victims and suspects. His main goal was to get the captives out safely, then take out the bad guys. Apparently, Shadow had other ideas.

He saw Rose, crouch behind the counter, prepping herself to fight. "Come on, now, Rose. Don't do anything stupid."

He ran out and snuck to where he heard the crying, and in the lobby of the bank he saw the civilians all face down on the floor, their hands behind their backs. Scanning the area, he saw only one man with a ski mask on, and a rifle in his hand, ready to shoot at any moment. "Pfft, you guys make this too easy."

With little effort, Peter shot at his gun, disarming him immediately, ignoring his startled cry, and then suspended him in the air, and effectively silencing him. "Go!" He told the people quietly, holding a finger to his lips, as to not put Rose in any danger in the next room. The people ran out quickly, trying to be silent. He felt his heart drop into his stomach when he heard multiple sounds of gunshots go off and tried to rush the people to get out faster. When the last man had gotten out, he heard the cry of Rose and didn't waste any time making his way to her.

**Rose POV**

There was five of them.

Shit. That meant there was one out in the lobby with the hostages. But as soon as I had seen Spider-Man outside, by the multiple times we had met up together in the past few months, and worked together, I knew his priority would be to get the captives free. This gave me the opportunity to take out the other men.

Peeking from behind the counter I saw two armed men guarding the opened vault, which meant the other three were probably busy stashing their bags with other people's hard earned money. With a deep breath and a crack to my neck, I sprung up like a deer, and leaped across the counter, charging toward the men. They continued to shoot at me. I kicked the gun out of the first man's hands, while dodging a punch from tweedle dee. With a side kick, I sent tweedle dee staggering backward, giving me the quick second the grip tweedle dum's neck and slamming his head against the wall. He grunted in pain and stumbled to his knees. I then kneed his nose, effectively putting him down.

I felt a sharp pain to my back as I flew head first into the wall, "Agh!"

"You little bitch!"

Another kick to my side before I reached for the gun that had fallen to the floor. I turned around, ignoring the dizziness I felt, and aimed for my target, sending a round of bullets to the man's kneecaps. He screamed as he fell to the floor gripping his legs, before I entered the vault.

The men were already ready, two of which wasted no time in pinning me against the wall. One of the men gripped my neck, cutting my air off. I tried to struggle against his grip, something which amused them as they began to laugh. Oh, no, oh, no. I thought as I couldn't help but panic as the black and white dots in my vision began to increase. "Didn't know Spider-Man was gonna send his whore to do his dirty work."

"You have a world of pain coming to you, baby." The obvious ring leader said, lifting his gun to my forehead. With a flicker of hope, I noticed the idiot still had the safety on, and with every ounce of strength I lifted my hands and jammed my pointer and middle finger as hard as I could into his exposed eyeballs. I ignored the pop I felt against my fingertips. He screamed like a woman as he grabbed his face in pain, and fell to the floor.

I fell, gasping for breath, before trying to get my vision straight. I felt everything move in slow motion as I saw one of the two remaining men aim his gun at me and pull the trigger. "Enough of this shit."

The pain was excruciating, and I fell back against the wall, and slid down, trying to put pressure on the wound. It was below my right breast, and I vaguely recalled hearing the other men being apprehended.

"Oh, man. Oh, man." I felt someone tap my cheek. "Come on, stay with me, Shadow."

"Spider-Man." I mumbled, trying to stay calm. "Take me out of here."

"Let's get you to the Hospital." He said, gently picking me up.

"No!" I yelled, startling him. "No, take me to my apartment."

I gave him my address as he carried me quickly out of the building. "Don't be stupid! You need medical attention. Like, now!"

"And I will get it. Just take me home." I argued, getting annoyed. I was injured, not dying. I had the skills to remove a bullet. I'd done so before. "Don't argue with me. Not now."

After debating with himself, Spider-Man changed his direction and took me to my apartment. "You're out of your mind if you think I'm leaving you alone."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Of course he was going to help. There were no encounters where he wasn't infuriatingly stubborn in doing things his way. "Good. I might need a little help."

**Peter POV**

Peter was panicking. He had had gunshot wounds before, but he had an advantage than the average person. He was quick to heal. Rose, he wasn't so sure. He landed as gently as he could at her windowsill, and opened it with one arm, supporting her weight in his other.

She groaned in pain at the movement. He looked down worriedly at her, knowing she wouldn't be able to see that worry on his features. "Are you sure you don-"

"If you keep asking me that question, I'll be forced to hurt you." She retorted, trying to sound stronger than she was.

He grinned, glad her temperament and personality were unaffected. "I'm shaking with fear."

She gave an unladylike snort. "You should be. I throw a mean punch."

He laid her softly on the bed, before she clung to him harder and resisted to be let go. "No, no, no!" She protested, making him worried he had done something wrong.

"What?" He asked, pulling her back up against his chest. "What's wrong!"

He saw her point to her kitchen counter. "Put me there. I don't want blood on my mattress and sheets. I just bought new ones."

"Are you serious?" Peter asked incredulously. "You're more worried about your sheets than your life?"

"They're Egyptian cotton." She mumbled, clearly embarrassed.

He put her down anyway, ignoring her protests. "I'll buy you new ones."

"…Fine." She huffed, knowing he obviously didn't care about her new favorite sheets.

He looked at the wound, noticing she had again pressed her hand against it. Rose had her eyes shut tightly in pain. "There's a first aide kit under the kitchen sink." She told him.

Peter hurriedly went to the sink, and grabbed it, and rushed back to her side. He blushed when he saw her unzipping her suit slowly. "What are you doing?" He asked, loudly, caught off guard by her actions.

He saw her exposed bra and the skin of her midriff that was covered in blood. She was blushing and he could see some paint specks on her face that he hadn't noticed before. She was obviously embarrassed, but she didn't stop pulling her left arm out of the suit before attempting with her right, before crying out in pain. He felt his heart break at how pathetic she looked. But he also couldn't keep from noticing just how attractive she was. Shaking his head from his thoughts he rushed by her side. "Hey, hey. Don't move too much, or you're gonna pass out from blood loss."

"I…Please help me then." She looked anywhere but his masked eyes. "I really don't want to ruin this suit and the bullet needs to be extracted, and the skin sewed shut."

Peter gulped, wondering how this became part of the job. "Uhhh…"

"Uhgn…" Rose's head drooped in pain, causing Peter to snap out of it. He grabbed the material and gingerly lifted her arm from it, trying to keep it from stretching the wound.

"Okay, alright, let's just uh, get this arm out…"

"Oh, god.." She mumbled, as more tears slid down her face. "I should really invest in a bullet proof vest because this just sucks."

Peter tried to keep his mind on the task at hand. Assisting Rose with her wound, but he was still a 20 year old man. And he was hovered over a topless woman. But he knew she was even more uncomfortable than him, because her face and her chest was flushed. He saw as she tried to angle herself to dig for the bullet with her tweezers, but was obviously having difficulty in doing so.

At her struggle, Peter offered his hand. "Need help?"

She sighed in frustration. "What good am I if I can't even help myself?"

Despite her remark, she handed the tweezers to Peter and tried to move her bra higher to keep from causing friction to the wound. Unfortunately, it wasn't working and she shut her eyes in humiliation, realizing she was going to need to remove the bra and lift her breast up by hand to keep the wound open to work with. "Spider-Man,"

"Hm."

Peter was trying to steady his hand. He looked up at Rose when she called his hero's name again. "Yeah?"

"Close your eyes."

"What?"

"Close. Your. Eyes." She said through clenched teeth. "And they had better be closed."

He did so without questioning why, and when she told him to open them again, he licked his lips nervously, seeing her left arm supporting her full chest and her right arm resting up, giving him full vision and access to begin the extraction. Her position was provocative, but the situation was anything but.

It took nearly an hour to complete the extraction, and Rose guided him throughout the whole thing with a few grunts and moans of pain every so often. Gwen was the one who had done this with him, so he was new to it, but luckily he was a quick learner. When he finished the last stitch, he leaned back and rubbed his hands over his face, physically and mentally exhausted. "You should keep off the streets for a while."

Rose nodded and pulled a sheet to cover herself. "Thank you. I'm so sorry you had to do that. I… I'm just really sorry."

Peter shook his head and chuckled. "Don't worry about it. All in a days work, right?"

"You went a little above and beyond though." Rose smiled weakly, finally feeling the effects of the day through her. "Thank you."

"Friends help friends, right?" Peter continued, trying to be nonchalant though he felt his stomach in knots at her genuine tone.

"Right." She nodded, clutching the bloodstained sheet tighter to her chest. She began to stand, chuckling when he prepared himself to catch her if she fell. She tied a small knot to keep the sheet from exposing her fully.

"You going to be okay?"

"I will." She said, then looked sadly at her bed. "My new sheets won't though, I'm afraid."

Peter laughed, putting a hand atop her head. "I said I'd buy you new ones, remember?"

She smiled tiredly at him, and took a step closer, their bodies almost touching. Peter searched her eyes, feeling strangely anxious at what she was going to do. He hadn't felt this type of feeling in his stomach since… No, he wasn't going to go there. He wasn't going to fall down that pit again.

He could almost feel her timidity as she reached up with her good arm and touched his mask, slowly raising it.

"Don't," He whispered, afraid his voice might crack.

"I won't," She whispered softly. "Trust me."

And he did. He trusted her. She never gave him a reason not to. Not as Shadow, nor as Rose. He almost shivered as he felt her fingers slide across his jaw as she lifted the mask above his lips before stopping. It seemed as though the sounds of the city became silent and all he could hear was his rapid heartbeat.

She closed her eyes, and her luscious lips parted while she leaned toward him, hoping he'd lower his face to hers. He didn't deny himself this. Perhaps he was selfish. Perhaps he was foolish. He didn't care. No. Peter poured himself into that kiss, his hands cupping her face.

She mewled into his mouth, causing their kiss to deepen and for her to trace her tongue across his lip, gaining access to all of him. It felt too soon when he pulled away. But he knew she needed rest and he needed to get home. He opened his eyes and saw her searching him. Her lips were red and swollen from the kiss and he fought the urge to kiss her again. "Get some rest, Shadow."

She nodded mutely, licking her lips as he walked to the window. She closed her eyes and tried to catch her breath. After only a short moment, she wasn't surprised to find him already gone when she opened them back up.

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	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel, Spider-Man, Avengers characters, plots, or material. Just a fan weaving different stories together for creative pleasure. **

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**Five Weeks Later**

I was trapped. There was no way out. Surrounded by these people who were ready to snap and attack at any moment…

"Tall Chai Latte for Rose!"

With a sigh of relief, I pushed through the crowd of rude people at Starbucks, and grabbed my drink, ready to get the hell out of there. On my way out, I bumped into someone by accident, causing the man to drop all his papers. "Oh, my gosh! I'm so sorry. Excuse me."

Good going, Rose! "I'm so sorry, let me help you." I knelt down and put my drink on the floor, quickly picking up the papers. "Again, I'm so sorry."

The older man gave a small laugh, "Oh, it's fine. I should've watched where I was going. I'm trying to figure out this damn phone. When people use Skype they never tell you how to flip the screen."

I wanted to laugh at the man's genuine lack of knowledge on the technology. He really did seem like he was struggling. "Hello? Hello, Tony, can you still hear me?"

"May I?" I asked, offering my help.

He hesitated, debating if I was trustworthy or not, and gave a defeated sigh. "Sure, why not. Here."

"Nice phone." I commented, before realizing he wasn't even on his Skype app. "Well, it seems you're disconnected. Did you want me to call the last person on your history?"

"Yeah, please." He nodded, looking over my shoulder. "I didn't get what type of drink he wanted."

With a grin, I connected the call, trying to not appear too nosy. An older man, who looked familiar appeared on the screen. "You're not Happy."

"I'm here!" The man behind me said, coming into view. What a peculiar name. Happy.

"Shame. She's more pleasing to the eye. What's your name?"

"Here you go, sir." I continued, ignoring the man on the screen. I pointed to the small icon on the top of the screen. "This is where you push to switch screens." I told him before demonstrating.

The man, Happy, grabbed his phone back and thanked me. "Next thing you know there's going to be another update that'll confuse me."

"You'll pick it up." I told him with a giggle. He just looked too funny, trying to chat with the other man on the line.

"Thanks…." He smiled, shaking my hand.

"Rose." I answered, returning the handshake. The man on the other end seemed to be getting annoyed with being ignored. "Nice meeting you."

"You, too." He waved in goodbye before entering the crowded store. "No, Tony, I don't need to get out more."

What a way to start the day, I thought entering my apartment. I looked at the time and hurriedly got back to my painting. I needed to finish before five, so I had about four hours. That would be plenty to finish the painting I was currently almost finished with. I was working on a birthday gift for Ms. May, and I wanted to give it to her before she left for the hospital. During the past couple months, Ms. May had become somewhat of mother figure to me. We had lunches out, a few shopping trips, and even tried out a book club. Neither of us could commit to that though, so we just decided to do our own type. Reading the same books, and discussing it over a meal or coffee. She was a very great person, and had an amazing personality.

She had confided in me the details of her husband's death and how much she still was haunted by the fact she never had closure. She had told me she was constantly worrying about Peter, and how she always felt so alone. So obviously I did my best to keep her distracted and be a good friend.

SMSMSM

"Happy Birthday, Ms. May!" I smiled brightly as she opened her front door.

May held a hand to her chest, apparently not expecting my exuberant greeting. "Oh, Rose!" She laughed, guiding me inside before noticing my wrapped canvas. "Oh, honey you didn't need to get me anything."

"Technically, I didn't get it." I giggled, handing it to her and smiling to Peter as he came into the room. I gave a small wave to him, before turning my attention back to Ms. May. She gave me a look and shook her head. "Open it! Open it!"

With childlike excitement, she laughed and unwrapped it. Her jaw dropped a little bit, and she stared intently at the painting, her eyes moving over every detail. "Oh, Rose…"

I bit my lip, hoping I hadn't made her sad. "I.. I wanted to include your husband, but I'm sorry; I just didn't know how he looked like…Do you like it..?"

She sniffed, and Peter took the painting and lifted it up, observing it as well, making me nervous. May stood up and wiped her tears away before coming to hug me. "Oh, it's beautiful, Rose. I absolutely love it. Thank you."

I exhaled in relief, hugging her back. I looked up at Peter, wondering his opinion.

"Wow." He whispered, looking at me and his aunt before setting it on the sofa. "You got my face just right."

Indeed I had, because there was no way I was going to mess up any of his handsome features. What I had painted had been a mental picture I had of a time I had seen Peter give Ms. May a very enthusiastic kiss on the cheek, causing her to laugh with such pure affection. The moment I witnessed the moment, I wanted it saved on a canvas. I wanted her to have that memory exist as a timeless piece in her home.

I tucked my hair behind my ear. "Yeah, I tried hard to capture it perfectly. It took me a while, but I needed it to be perfect."

"And it is!" May responded, before patting Peter's stomach. "Peter, could you hang it there on that wall while I get ready for work?"

"Sure thing, Aunt May." Peter responded.

May turned back to me with a warm smile. "You spoil me too much, Rose."

"Nonsense!" I exclaimed, "You deserve it."

"Oh, stop it!" She scolded jokingly, obviously flattered. She picked up a book off the coffee table and handed it to me. "Here. I just finished it. You'll love it. It's a little slow in the beginning but it picks up soon after. I have to get ready for work, but don't feel like you have to go, you can help Peter with the hanging the painting if you want."

I flipped through the book I was going to borrow. "Sure, no problem. And thank you I've heard good reviews on it."

After another hug, May went upstairs leaving me alone before Peter came in with a hammer and nails. I got off the sofa and walked to him. "I'm apparently assisting you in this extraneous task."

"Well, you'd better prepare yourself." He grinned, "It could get rough."

He lifted his arms and began hammering in the nails, causing his shirt to ride up a little. I had a good view of a very chiseled and toned abdomen. He was completely unaware at me staring- that is, until he asked me to hand him the painting.

Mortified at being caught I tried to hide behind my hair as I gave him the painting. He only smirked in response. There was something about his laugh that made that feeling of familiarity flare up in my gut again. It wasn't until I stepped closer to him that I could smell his scent. I was almost knocked out by it because I _knew_ that smell.

It was what attracted me to Spider-Man. It was his scent. I looked at Peter wide eyed, completely dumbfounded at my own stupidity at not connecting any dots. The first conversation we had the day my grandmother died, the way May had told me Peter was always out and how she was worried he was involved in something dangerous by the injuries he sported on a regular basis. Oh, my god! How had I never put the damn pieces together! Sure, Peter and I weren't extraordinarily close, but I visited their house frequently, and it was Spider-Man to which I was close to. _Very_ close to.

"Oh, my gosh…" I whispered, stepping back. Peter finally looked at me quizzically.

"You okay?"

I disregarded his concerned tone, and became extremely confused. Within the timeline of our first kiss, Spider-Man and I had initiated two more kisses the following weeks after, and during that time here I was coming over to the Parker's house. Did he know about me? Did he know I was Shadow?

"I need to go." I hurriedly grabbed my bag, and rushed to the door, ignoring Peter calling my name. I practically bolted out of the house and high tailed it to my apartment. Surely, he couldn't know it was me, right? Spider-Man had been in my apartment, not Peter. But now they were one in the same man. But did he know it was me? The girl who tagged along his Aunt May? I had never before been unmasked in front of Spider-Man.

When I entered my apartment, I paced. I liked Peter. I was completely attracted to him, but forced myself not to get too close because I had thought I was getting involved with Spider-Man. But now Peter was Spider-Man. So I was getting involved with Peter? He was handsome, he was funny, and he was caring. What if this completely betrayed his trust toward me? Would he think I was only interested in Spider-Man?

"Oh, god…." I groaned, putting my hands over my face. A knock on my window caused me to jump back, startled. And who do you think was there?

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Please Review guys!


	7. Chapter 7

Big thank you to reviewers Katyperrylover36, Fallenstar92, and Ebony95! :) And thank you to those who haven't reviewed but followed and favorited the story! Don't be shy to leave a comment ;) I hope everyone is liking it so far; enjoy!

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**Peter POV**

Peter literally had no idea what had happened. Did he do something offensive? He wondered as he watched Rose rush out his door. He ran upstairs, and put his suit on.

"I'm leaving, Peter!" He heard his aunt call outside his door.

He put his mask on and called out. "Okay, bye Aunt May!"

"Love you. There's leftover casserole in the fridge. And do not get into any trouble, young man!" She warned, before he heard her walk down the stairs.

"I won't!" He called out, opening his window, "Love you, too!"

He quickly shot himself away from his home and made the short trip to Rose's apartment. He squatted at her window sill and knocked rapidly, looking around to make sure nobody was watching him. He saw Rose jump at the sound and rushed to the window to open it. Peter crawled in, "Thanks."

He was not expecting what happened next.

He raised his hand to his cheek, stunned. "You just slapped me."

"You bet your ass I did!" She said angrily. He noticed her hands clenching into fists, and he laughed nervously before backing up. "And if I don't get some answers, I'm going to do it again."

"Whoa, there, what's wrong?"

Her mouth dropped and she went to punch him in the arm, and he flinched away. She did throw a good punch. "Do you notice something different about me?" Punch. "Huh?" Punch. "Anything?!"

He jumped up to the ceiling to avoid her punches. That arm was going to be bruised, he thought surely. "Uh, yeah I obviously visited at the wrong time of the month." Before the last word left his lips, he knew he was going to pay for that smart ass comment.

He heard her growl before looking around and grabbing a broom. "Hey!" He yelled as she started swinging it at him. He jumped from wall to wall, knocking a few items off as she chased him. "My mask! My mask if off! That's what different."

Oh, he realized. So it was. So, what? Then realization hit him. _Oh. _

She pursed her lips. "How long have you known?"

He remained quiet and scratched the back of his neck, trying to think of the right thing to say to get out of this.

"How long?" She repeated, a quiver in her voice. "Peter."

He looked up at her then, and dropped his shoulders defeated. The jig was up, his concern for Rose ultimately gave away his secret. "I'm sorry."

She laughed humorlessly, looking away. "For what? Not telling me sooner, or not being able to keep it hidden longer?"

"I…" Peter was frustrated, not really knowing the answer himself. "I don't know. I'm sorry, Rose. I made a jerk move."

"You think?" She sniffed, still looking away. Oh, no. She was looked about ready to cry. He hated to see girls cry. And he was the one that caused it. "I mean, honestly… I'm half naked one night kissing you, and then the next night I'm having dinner at your house and you don't say anything?!"

He didn't have anything to say to that. He just hung his head. "I'm sorry."

The next thing he knew, he was pushed onto the bed. "Wh-" His mask was ripped off his face and suddenly Rose was on his mouth kissing him almost angrily. What the hell was happening? Whatever it was, he wasn't going to keep questioning it. Peter closed his eyes and put just as much force into the kiss, scooting back so Rose could lay atop him more comfortably.

She broke apart, breathing heavily and punched him again. This time was much softer. "You know how many times I wanted to ask you, Peter Parker, out on a date, but couldn't because I felt guilty like I would be somehow going behind Spider-Man's back or trust…"

Peter grinned, a little smug and a little excited. "You wanted to ask me out?"

She rolled her eyes, but her blush gave away her real feelings. "Oh, don't act so surprised. You're like the epitomy of a great guy. Minus the wisecracks."

His grin became wider, if possible as he responded, "What? I thought you liked my smart mouth?"

She didn't answer; Just shook her head with a very small curve of her lip. "So… how long have you known?"

Of course Peter knew she was going to ask, so he figured he might as well be completely honest while they were in the position they were in. "Since the night we were introduced by Aunt May."

"You knew since New Years?" She asked, eyes wide. Thankfully, not looking like she was going to attack him. "How?"

"Well, your red hair isn't exactly inconspicuous. But then again, I can pick up things that others can't. Like a spider sense or something."

"What," She snorted, "Your spidey senses were tingling?"

He smiled at her sarcasm, but chose to ignore it as he went on, "And your eyes. Nobody has eyes like yours."

She scrunched her nose, and looked away embarrassed. "Thousands of people have my eye color."

"Not the color. Just…I don't know the way they were. The depths of them." He shrugged, not really knowing how to explain it.

Rose stayed silent, while chewing her lip. Before slowly speaking, "So.. I think we should go out for dinner."

Peter raised an eyebrow, and gave a lopsided grin. "Oh really, how do you think Spider-Man will feel about you going on a date?" He teased, avoiding a smack to his arm."You know, you're really violent. I think I'm seeing a whole other side to you."

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	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you to GiraffePanda2 for your review! Sorry if there's some grammatical issues, I'm incredibly tired and horrible at proof reading. Anyway, enjoy!**

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After that day, Peter and Rose had went on multiple dates. Well, if you counted getting a burger together after a night of putting criminals in their place a date. To Peter, things seemed to be looking up. After that day Rose had figured out he was Spider-Man, they both could easily enjoy each other's company without having walls up or any secrets to hide from.

He had told her about his parents, Dr. Connors, Electro, even about his love with Gwen.

"_There's always going to be a part of me that will hold onto that love. Forever." _

"_I should hope so. She sounded like a remarkable woman, and I think she'd be really proud of you, Peter." _

He had confided in her about his fears and how he felt he would never have a normal life. He told her everything about his Uncle and how the guilt never left him for his death. During these weeks that they talked and became closer, Rose gave her comfort and support. She also recounted her experiences on where she had been during those incidents. Peter was so pleased there was someone he could connect with. Rose knew how he felt, to an extent.

Tonight, they were on their eleventh date. Sort of.

"Stop the truck!" Rose yelled, hanging off the driver's side of a truck that was speeding down the less crowded streets of New York. The man was leading cops on a high pursuit car chase. Peter was swinging above, ready to catch her at any moment and ready to save anyone who was at risk of being hit. Rose pulled her arm back and punched the window, shattering the glass.

"Get off!" The man yelled, trying to elbow and throw her off. Rose dodged every time, and then retaliated, throwing her own punch before grabbing the wheel to keep from driving on the sidewalk where pedestrians stood and watched with various emotions. "Don't make this harder than it needs to be." She tried to reason.

The man yelled in anger and jerked the truck to the left sharply, trying to get her off the vehicle. Peter saw a dog about twenty feet away about to become road kill. He sped up, and saved the clueless animal, and placed it back on the sidewalk before catching up again.

When he reached them he saw Rose climb atop the truck and kick her way through the passenger window. "Shadow!" He yelled, becoming a little worried. This wasn't really part of the plan.

The truck was swerving all over the place, and he decided play time was over. He just hoped this wouldn't result in a car pileup. He shot his web on the truck's bumper, causing the vehicle to come to a sudden stop.

Unfortunately, he hadn't thought of what would happen if someone weren't to be wearing their seatbelts when enduring a urgent stop such as that one. His reflexes were quick, though as he saw Rose fly out the windshield about ready to hit the floor with accelerated speed and force. He grabbed her only centimeters before she had contact with the asphalt.

Peter brought them on top of a traffic light and looked down at Rose, checking if she was hurt. "You okay?" He asked, catching his breath.

She looked a little green. "Uuugh… whiplash."

He gave a guilty chuckle. "Whoops."

They both turned their heads as the sound of police sirens neared and circled the truck. The man was read his Miranda rights and told he was being arrested while being loaded onto the ambulance for his injuries.

"Hotdogs?" Peter suggested, landing on top of a nearby roof.

"Oh! I want to try the new taco truck by the theater!" Rose said excitedly, clasping her hands together, losing the vertigo feeling she'd had moments before.

Peter gathered her back into his arms again, and chuckled. "You and tacos. Hang on."

**SMSMSM**

Later that night, Peter was lazily sitting on Rose's window ledge getting ready to head back home. Rose leaned up her lips brushing over Peter's through his mask. His breath caught in his throat. This was a little different, he thought as she didn't make a move to lift his mask up. She just kept her lips brushed against his, an almost inaudible moan in the back of her throat.

"Goodnight, Peter." She whispered against his lips, before pulling back to close the window. He sat there, shocked and slightly winded. The little tease! He thought, grinning goofily before making his way back home.

**SMSMSM**

**Rose POV**

I woke up instantly when I heard the click of my window's lock be unlatched. I kept my body from becoming rigid and pretended to be asleep while I reached my hand further under my pillow for my gun.

The sound of feet coming in contact with the floor was what I heard next, and they continued to walk toward my kitchen counter. I opened one of my eyes just a slit, and saw the figure of a tall stranger setting down what looked like a paper on my counter.

I think they sensed I was awake, because the next thing I knew they ran to the window to leave. I jumped out of bed and pointed my gun at the figure, ready to demand answers, but to no avail. They had already left. I ran to the window and looked out, gun still ready to be used if need be. When I knew there was nobody near, I closed and locked my window before going to the counter to see what had been left.

_Expect us. We know who you are. _

I could have sworn my heart stopped, and I felt the fear paralyze me. Was I being threatened? Targeted? A thousand different scenarios ran through my brain. I knew I could handle whatever might be thrown at me, but to know there was someone who was aware of me…Watching me? Oh god! I was almost always with Peter! More so when we went out as Shadow and Spider-Man! What if they were going to do the same to him? Would May be in trouble?

I had to warn him, I thought as I yanked my phone off its charger and dialed his number. His voice sounded groggy on the other end. "'Lo?"

"Peter." My voice sounded clipped with urgency.

"What's wrong? Are you alright." I heard his reaction to my tone and he sounded almost fully awake, and alert.

"I think so." I answered, glancing back at my window, and then to the note in my hand. "Someone broke into my apartment, and left a note… For Shadow."

Silence.

"I wanted to call you to warn you to be careful." I continued, knowing his brain was probably on overdrive right now. "I want to make sure you and May are alright. You know, in case they plan to leave Spider-Man a little message as well."

"I just checked on May." He said, with a heavy sigh. "She's sleeping, she's alright."

"Good."

Another pregnant pause. "Do you need me to go over there?"

"No," I shook my head, sitting back down on the bed. I wasn't going to be sleeping any time soon. "I'm okay. Stay with May, I can handle myself."

"I'll be there as soon as I drop Aunt May off at the Hospital."

I nodded, then realized Peter couldn't actually see me. "Okay. Goodnight, Peter. Stay safe."

"Likewise."

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Review? Please?


	9. Chapter 9

**Yay! I'm glad there are more of you enjoying this story so far! Thank you so much! Here's a new chapter! Enjoy!**

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**Rose POV**

There was three months of peace.

Three months of false security. I hadn't forgotten there was someone that may be tracking me, but in time it would slip out of my mind for longer periods.

Peter and I were sitting in a diner, the television above the bar continuously rambling about the new Stark tower. "For a man who's notorious for doing what you and I do on a daily basis, he sure isn't subtle, is he?" I asked, watching the screen as the man Tony Stark gave a speech about his tower and energy sources. The man seemed like an ego maniac.

Peter shrugged, taking a bite of his omelette. "I'm just glad he hasn't mentioned anything about us. We aren't exactly subtle ourselves."

"Yes, but at least we keep our identities hidden." I responded quietly, finishing my meal. "He's basically putting a giant target in the city." For as many enemies Iron Man had, there was the unsettling feeling that followed at his arrival to New York.

Peter raised an eyebrow at me. "New York itself is a target , Rose."

I sighed, knowing he was right. "Yeah, just…"

"_I'm Virginia Potts with Stark Industries, and I am thrilled to be here. It's not-" _

My head snapped toward the screen, causing alarm to Peter. I knew he was asking me what was wrong but all I could do was stare at the woman on the television, standing in front of the nearly finished building. "Oh, my gosh.. Peter, that's my sister."

I saw him look at the screen with much more interest than he had the entire time we'd been there. "I had no idea she worked for Tony Stark."

"Yeah, I never put two and two together myself.." I replied. Of course, I wasn't too upset by this because the only communication I'd had were those three letters and I hadn't gone to the construction site when it was first being built like she'd offered. I stood up quickly, wiping the crumbs off my shirt. "Would you like to walk me home, good sir?"

I knew Peter could tell I was trying to lighten the weird atmosphere that had transpired, and he graciously went along with it. He grabbed my hand before dipping me with a kiss. "I think I could fit a walk to your place into my schedule."

I shrieked with laughter when I felt his fingers pinch my side. He knew I was ticklish there, and loved to torture me. I tried to pry away from his grip, but he was too strong for me. "P-Peter! Stop it! People are staring!"

"Oh!" Peter said with a mischievous tone, causing a uneasiness to my gut. "Oh, you don't want the people to be uncomfortable with our PDA?" I shook my head no.

"Peter! Peter, get down!" I laughed, trying to pull him down as he stepped up onto the diner's chair. He cleared his throat dramatically, preparing to make a speech. I watched on in excited embarrassment.

"May I have everybody's attention!" He said loudly, of course getting the people to stare at us. I felt giddy and mortified all at the same time. What was he doing? "I would first like to thank the chef for this delicious meal- the bacon was sublime; and secondly, I would like apologize for the public display of affection I've presented with this beautiful woman to my right."

My face was on fire, and I buried my head in my hands, not knowing whether to punch or kiss Peter. He continued, "Thank you, and God bless America."

"I cannot believe you did that!"

He just laughed in response before throwing his arm over my shoulders and leading me away from the various stares of the public.

**SMSMSM**

"Will I see you tonight?" I asked Peter as we leaned against my front door. My back was pressed against the wood, and he had one hand on my waist and the other in my hair. I closed my eyes and breathed in his scent. I loved it.

Peter pushed his forehead against mine and nodded. "Absolutely. But I have to go now. Jameson wants me in his office. No doubt to give another rant about Spider-Man being a lawless hoodlum."

I closed my eyes and threw my head back in laughter. "It sounds like a very important meeting! You'd better hurry! It's good to be informed of the hoodlums out here these days."

Peter squeezed me tighter, "You better be careful or I might just throw in a couple comments about Shadow."

"You had better not, Peter Parker!" I lightly smacked his arm, giggling. I left my hand lingered on his muscle, rubbing it up and down before giving a small pout. "Alright, you'd better actually get going or you'll be late."

Peter leaned down to give me a soft kiss. The butterflies went crazy in my stomach. "See you tonight."

"Okay," I whispered, trying not to get lost into those brown doe eyes of his. "See you."

After I shut the door, I froze immediately. There was a woman sitting at my table. Medium length red hair, a strong and feminine build, and a lack of any type of emotion on her face.

"You've been following me." I stated, eyes never leaving her as she stood up. In her hand was a good sized folder filled with papers. I walked slowly to my nightstand, hoping to reach the gun I had in there.

The woman nodded, and spoke with a soft but warning tone. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

I paused for only a second before trying to grab the gun. She was quicker than me, kicking me to the wall, throwing my balance off. I bounced back, and shot my leg out, kicking her feet from under her. This woman was skilled, however, and made this struggled between us look like a dance. She twisted my arm around my back and pushed me up against the wall, her front pushed into my back. "I just want to talk, Ms. Evans."

"Oh," I laughed sarcastically, "Is that what this is? A nice girl talk?" I slammed my head back, hitting her and causing her to stumble, giving me the split second to reach the gun. I never got a chance to lift it, however because in that moment a sharp pain to my neck had me halt movement immediately. I looked to my right and saw a man lowering what looked like a gun to his side. I reached up and yanked what appeared to be a dart out of my neck. Everywhere felt warm and the last thing I remember was the man rushing the catch me as I stumbled into darkness.

**SMSMSM**

**Peter POV**

Peter had a slight skip in his step. Today had been a good day. Sure, Jameson tried to rip Spider-Man a new one through some articles, but that did not deter Peter's good mood. Tonight was the night. He was going to ask Rose tonight if she would be his girlfriend -_officially-_.

Upon walking up the steps to his house, he stopped at the call of his name. When he turned around, Peter saw a man dressed in a nice suit standing outside a black limousine, his hands clasped in front of him.

Peter pulled out the one headphone he had in his ear and walked slowly to the man. He was suspicious, but also curious. Was Oscorp sending men to his house? "Yeah, that's me…"

The man stuck his hand out, giving Peter a shake. "Agent Phil Coulson."

Peter's suspicion began to rise. An agent, coming to his house? Calling him by his full name? No. No, this was not good at all. He would have to play cool. "Oh, uh, what can I do for you?"

This agent didn't skip a beat. "How about we take drive and talk privately?" He turned slightly, and motioned to the car.

Peter pursed his lips and adjusted his backpack, before looking dead straight into the man's eyes. "Uh, you know, I think I'm going to pass on that."

The agent opened the door, revealing Rose laying on the further seat, unmoving. Peter's heart stopped, and he felt himself prepare to attack. The agent continued, however, "I would ask that you reconsider, Mr. Parker."

The agent didn't seem to set off any of his 'spidey senses' as Rose had called it, but that didn't mean anything to him while he saw Rose in potential trouble. "We aren't the bad guys." Phil continued, opening the door wider.

Peter clenched his jaw, and started thinking of all the ways he could get himself and Rose out of the situation. Making the decision to hear them out, he gave a stiff nod and got into the vehicle, Agent Coulson directly in tow.

When he sat down he noticed another person in as well. A redheaded woman who gave him no greeting or acknowledgement whatsoever. He gathered Rose in his arms and pulled her into his lap. With relief, Peter noticed it looked like she was merely asleep.

"She should be waking up soon. She is okay."

He looked back at Coulson with a hard look. "I'm here. So start talking."

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**Oooh, mad Peter! Review, please?**


	10. Chapter 10

Oh, thank you to all of you who have reviewed, favorited, and followed this story! I'm so pleased you are enjoying it thus far! :) I just want to say, it's funny because I was talking to my boyfriend about Spider-Man being involved with Avengers and he was like, "Well, Spider-Man was more involved with the X-Men." He was slightly offended lol He's a comic nerd, but I love him, and I'm going to utilize my creative freedoms to create an alternate reality where the story goes in a path that would sate myself and other readers. I own nothing Marvel, and I am just a fan that wants to use characters that brilliant Stan Lee created, and Marvel as well. Thank you, everyone! Enjoy!

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"So what exactly does S.H.I.E.L.D want with Spider-Man?" Peter asked, having been explained a truckload of information in a very short amount of time. "I really don't know what I would do about this Tesseract thing."

Phil Coulson looked at Peter and answered thoughtfully. "The Tesseract was taken out of the ocean by Howard Stark while they were searching for Mr. Rogers. The Tesseract could be a key to unlimited sustainable energy. Meaning, if it's in the wrong hands, it could be fatal not only nationally, but globally. And to answer your question, we want backup, Mr. Parker. We need heroes."

"That's why you and Ms. Evans are being called in." The woman with red hair said.

Peter looked through the files, eyes grazing over the three profiles of a Dr. Bruce Banner, who apparently turned into a giant green monster with serious anger management problems, the infamous Tony Stark as Iron Man, and then a man in a very patriotic suit named Steve Rogers.

"I'm no hero," A small voice spoke, causing the three in the vehicle to look at Rose as she lifted her face from the crook of Peter's neck, revealing the fact she must've been secretly listening to the conversation.

"Hey," He said softly, brushing his hand over her face. "You okay?"

Rose nodded, eyes heavy. "Slept like a baby." She then turned to the other woman. "You throw a mean punch..."

The other woman barely gave a hint of a smile. "Natasha Romanov."

"Pleasure."

Phil Coulson picked up where Rose had left off. "You've spent a considerable amount of your time risking your life to help and save people in the city. You don't consider that heroic?"

Rose rubbed her eyes, and sat up straighter. "What I mean is if you're calling these other guys in… They all have some type of ability or power, whereas I have none. I don't have an advantage like them, so why even make an invitation to join this mission if you have more capable employees who would surely do a better job?"

Phil smiled at her. "To be frank, this is a situation that requires the best able bodied men and women. We're calling you in because your skills are something that can be of help."

"But she can choose not to." Peter said seriously. He didn't want her in on this. It sounded far too dangerous, and while he knew Rose was capable at protecting herself, it just seemed like this was bigger than both of them.

Rose knew Peter didn't want her to join, but she was in fact very interested. She was absorbing all the information and spoke before Coulson could answer. "I'm in."

She felt Peter's body tense under her, but refused to make eye contact lest she lose her resolve. "You don't want to even think it over?" He asked into her ear. Rose shook her head, looking down.

"Peter, this is so much more than New York." She responded lowly, knowing the woman and Coulson were listening, but gave the appearance of turning away in false privacy. She continued, knowing Peter was probably a bit irked at her prompt decision. "This is bigger than just our universe. I mean, think about it-"

"I am, Rose." He whispered with a short tone. "I am thinking about it. You're right, this is bigger than us, but what happens if it's too much for you?"

"You don't think I can handle myself?" She argued, causing him to sigh in frustration.

"Don't make this about that. You know I don't think that. I just…" He grabbed his hair in frustration. "I care about you… I can't lose another person I …"

Rose grabbed his face in her hands and finally made eye contact. She felt her attitude crumble into understanding as she saw the worry, fear, and hesitation in his eyes. "Peter, I know. Trust me... Trust me. Please."

After a few tense moments, he threw his head back against the cushion and groaned. "Fine. Fine, count me in, too. But on one condition."

Natasha gave a curious look, "And that is?"

"I need someone to look after my Aunt May while I'm gone." Peter spoke seriously. "Just someone to there to make sure she's out of harms way."

After sharing a look with Natasha, Coulson nodded. "We'll send her somewhere safe, Mr. Parker."

Peter gave a nod in thanks, still looking slightly conflicted. Rose looked out the window when she realized they were entering a type of military base. "Were you counting on us saying yes, Agent?" She asked turning around to look at Coulson.

He only gave a small smile. "I tend to be right in a lot of situations."

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Review?


	11. Chapter 11

**Thank you those of you who have reviewed! You are spectacular and I am so happy you continue to like this story. This is a bit of a filler chapter, but of course I'll post another one fairly soon. Also, I saw the new X-Men movie today. I was literally hanging onto my boyfriend and absorbed into the story. It was really good, I highly recommend it :) Anyhoo, enjoy!**

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**Peter POV**

After getting out of the car, Rose and Peter followed closely behind the two agents toward a quinjet. Agent Coulson turned toward the two as they approached the aircraft. "This is where I leave you with Agent Romanov."

"Where are you going?" Rose asked, feeling out of place in these new surroundings. "And what about our stuff?"

"Your things will be waiting for you. I have some other business to attend to." He answered, nodding to them both, and then to Natasha. "I will see you all soon."

Peter looked around as they entered the aircraft, readying himself for anything that might go wrong. He was hyper aware of his surroundings and focused his senses to be on high alert. He still didn't trust these people fully, so he was going to try to keep himself and Rose protected if the situation turned bad.

**SMSMSM**

"We call it the Helicarrier." Agent Romanov spoke, smiling at the expressions on the young couple's faces.

Peter was quite impressed and looked around at everything. "So… what now?"

Natasha gestured to an older man a few feet away from where they were walking toward. "Mr. Parker, Ms. Evans, meet Doctor Banner. He's going to be assisting us in locating the Tesseract."

The older man seemed very soft spoken and reserved, Rose thought. But she wasn't going to fool herself. She and Peter had read about and seen footage of the other guy, Hulk. Dr. Banner held his hand out giving both Peter and Rose handshakes.

"Pleasure to meet you both." He said with a smile, adjusting his glasses.

"Same to you." Rose spoke slowly, appearing cautious.

"Uh, same. Hopefully we won't have the privilege to meet your other greener half." Peter grinned, rubbing the back of his neck.

Rose turned to him wide eyed and smacked his arm. "Peter!"

He held his hands up. "What? I didn't mean it offensively!"

Doctor Banner chuckled at the pair, obviously not offended. "Don't worry, Ms. Evans, I promise comments about the other guy is far from setting me off."

Rose licked her lips, which Peter knew was a habit she did when she was nervous. "Sorry, I just… This is all sort of.. new for me, I guess. And please call me Rose."

Doctor Banner smiled in understanding. "In that case, call me Bruce. And don't worry, I don't blame you. All of this does seem a little unreal to me, as well. If someone had told me a month ago I'd be aboard an isolated ship filled with people, I'd have laughed in their face."

"If you don't mind," Peter began, his tone a little more serious. "When was the last time you lost control?"

Bruce made a face and looked up before answering. "A little over a year ago."

The answer seemed to suffice for Peter as he turned to Natasha. "Is our stuff anywhere around here?"

She nodded, "I can show you your rooms. Follow me."

Peter and Rose bid their goodbyes to Bruce before being led into the ship After a few confusing turns and corridors, she stopped in front of a plain white door. "This is the sleeping quarters. Mr. Parker this is your room, you'll find your things already inside. And Ms. Evans yours is right next door, your stuff as well."

She handed them two clear, plastic cards. "These will open your rooms. Someone will come in a few hours to escort you to the Bridge when everyone else appears."

With that, the agent turned and walked away.

Peter stepped closer to Rose and leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Are you getting an eerie feeling, or is it just me?"

Rose bit her lip and nodded her head. "Yeah, I don't feel like these people are a threat to us, but I just don't really trust them either. I mean, think about it… How long have they known who we are without saying anything? It doesn't sit right with me, but I'm hoping once this is over, we can get back to our lives."

She walked into her room, Peter in tow. With relief, she saw a small bag on the bed and opened it to find essentials and most importantly, her suit. She looked over her shoulder at Peter and smiled at his inspection of every little thing in the room. "I think I'm going to put my suit on… just in case."

Peter pursed his lips and nodded before jumping onto the bed, landing on his back. She gave him a look. "Aren't you going to put yours on?"

He lowered his shirt and revealed the red material underneath. Of course, she thought with a small smile before walking into the bathroom to change. When she came out, fully dressed minus her boots and mask, she fought a giggle at the now passed out Peter on her bed. She crawled up next to him, listening to his soft snores, and curled into him, feeling safe as he unconsciously pulled her to him.

She was out like a light.

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Please review :)


	12. Chapter 12

What, what!? Another chapter? Hooray! Haha! Everyone who is invested with this story, just wanna say you're awesome and stay awesome! :) Hope you enjoy!

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It was his senses that caused Peter to awaken with a jolt. Something nearby had his spider senses in a tizzy. He looked down at Rose, debating on waking her up or not, and then opting not so he wouldn't compromise her strength or energy. He looked at the clock and noticed it had been about an hour since they'd been brought to their rooms.

He felt amusement at the fact he hadn't even technically stepped into his room yet. He slowly pulled his arm out from under Rose, trying to keep from waking her. "Ahhhh!" He whispered, grabbing his arm as the blood began rushing through it. He really hated when his arms fell asleep on him.

Getting up, he gave his arm a shake before walking over to the door.

"Peter,"

He turned at the soft call of his name. Peter walked back toward the bed, seeing Rose begin to wake up. He crouched down near her side, and smiled at her drowsy face. "Hey."

She sat up slowly and yawned. "How long were we out?"

"About an hour."

There was a knock on the door and Peter got up to answer while Rose sat at the edge of the bed to put her boots on. She grabbed her mask and slipped it into a small pocket in her belt.

"There you are." A man spoke as Peter opened the door. "I'm Agent Rodriguez. You two are needed by Director Fury. If you'd follow me."

After following the man, they approached a lab room where Doctor Banner was sitting, looking intensely focused in his work. There was a woman and an intimidating man with a long coat and eye patch who greeted both of them as they entered.

"Peter Parker," The man spoke, circling Peter, as if sizing him up. "New York's favorite vigilante."

"Glad I've made an impression." Peter replied, tucking his hands in his pockets, holding the man's gaze with no intimidation.

Director Fury turned his eye to Rose who stood directly behind Peter. "And Evans. The girl who willingly stepped in Spider-Man's place while he was AWOL for five months."

"Nice meeting you." She said, unsure of what to make of this man.

"So, what possessed you to create this Shadow character of yours? We know about Peter's bug bite, and Banner's accident.. But you… You don't have powers, you're not a spy. No known history in our database of working for any agencies in your past. So what?" He asked, folding his arms. This question peaked the interest of everyone in the room, she realized as even Doctor Banner looked up from his work to hear what she'd say.

She looked at Peter, who was also staring curiously at her for an answer. "Well… I guess I saw the effects of Spider-Man being gone and wanted to help those who couldn't help themselves."

"Ms. Evans, I've been doing this job a very long time. I've seen a lot more than you might ever see in a lifetime. And I know that normally, a twenty year old painter with the skill of a sixth degree blackbelt in martial arts is highly uncommon. So again I ask, what was the reason?"

Rose narrowed her eyes at the man. "I've already told you. As far as my skills go, my father taught me at an incredibly young age how to fight. It's part of me. It's how I was raised. I was brought up with the belief to fight for those who can't fight for themselves."

Director Fury nodded. "Good." Suddenly, he turned to Peter. "Parker, suit up. You and Rogers are leaving in twenty to Stuttgart, Germany. Loki's going to making an appearance that we don't want to miss."

"When I pictured myself traveling around the world, this wasn't exactly what I had in mind." Peter joked a bit solemnly. He looked down thoughtfully, and Rose made a mental note to question him later about it.

"And what of me?" She asked as Fury began to exit.

"Agent Hill will send someone to take you to the training room." He said, ignoring her look of disappointment. "Because you haven't been doing this for long, we want to test your strength and your limits. Your training will begin once you've said your goodbyes."

Agent Hill walked to Peter. "You remember where the hangar is?"

Peter nodded, "Uh, yeah. Yeah. I'll be out there in fifteen."

Satisfied with his answer, the Agent turned her heel and left the room, leaving only Doctor Banner, Peter and Rose. He grabbed Rose by the waist, and brought her against him. "If I didn't know any better, I would think you didn't really like One Eyed Willy's decision to leave you out of this mission."

"One eyed Willy?" She raised a brow, smiling at him. He only lifted his hand to cover his eye and grinned at her. "I want to go with you guys, but I guess it will be beneficial to train."

"Don't get into trouble while I'm gone." He said, lowering his lips to hers. She closed her eyes at his kiss, and ran her hands up his chest to the back of his neck.

"I should be the one telling you that." She said breathlessly when they broke apart. He leaned his forehead against hers and closed his eyes.

"In all seriousness, though, please be safe." She spoke softly, trying not to think about the what ifs of this mission he was going on. Rose knew Peter could adapt to any problem thrown at him, but that didn't make him invincible. And he was going up against a demigod.

"Rose, you know me. You know safe isn't in my vocabulary."

She knew he was just joking to ease her worry, but it didn't help. Rose looked him in the eyes, and said, "I'm serious, Peter. You're my… you're my best friend. Promise me you won't make any stupid decisions? And try to work as a team player!"

He held a hand to his chest, pretending offense. "I am the epitomy of a team player!"

"You are more stubborn than a mule." She deadpanned. He grinned at her, and brought her closer to him.

Peter kissed her again, more passionately this time, and didn't stop until an uncomfortable Bruce Banner cleared his throat.

With a pat to her head, Peter walked backward toward the door and gave a salute. "Doctor Banner, sorry about that. Rose, make good choices." And with that, he turned around and jogged out the door.

"Bring me a souvenir!" Rose called out jokingly, knowing Peter would hear. She turned to Bruce and rubbed her arm sheepishly. "Uh, sorry about that. He's not one for subtlety."

Bruce adjusted his glasses and gave her a smile. "It's alright. I was a teenager in love at one point as well."

Rose didn't respond. The word love had her kind of speechless. She thought it best to avoid the conversation altogether. She turned on her heel and pointed toward the door. "Well, I guess I have to go train and stuff."

"Have fun." Bruce said, looking over his glasses.

"Oh, yeah." She replied under her breath. "I'm sure I will."

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	13. Chapter 13

I truly, honestly thank all of you who continue to review and enjoy this story :) Thank you for your support and suggestions! Next chapter is here, hope you like!

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**Rose POV**

I didn't know how long I'd been training, but my muscles were screaming for rest, and I felt the roots of my hair drenched in sweat. It had to have been _hours_. Director Fury didn't relent though, as he sent another group of men in to challenge me. "Really?" I looked toward the mirror, knowing the Director was watching from the other side.

I had been put in almost every situation so far, combatively speaking. Some men and women had guns, swords, nun chucks, daggers, and even throwing stars. I had been struck a few times, resulting in a few cuts and bruises, but it only made me push myself harder to finish.

My body was starting to protest against the continuous strain I was putting it through. I raised my arm to wipe the sweat on my forehead, not prepared for the last man in the room to get me in a choke hold. I tested his hold on me, and realized he wasn't budging. Since we were facing the walls, I gripped his forearms and put all the strength I had into my core, and balanced my weight against his chest as I used the wall in front of me to flip over him, and kicked him into the wall, before dropping my stance and turning to the mirror. "Break?"

"Well executed." Fury's voice spoke over a speaker. "You're free to go."

I nodded in thanks before walking to the man picking himself off of the floor. I offered a hand which he accepted and helped him get his balance. "Sorry for that. I didn't mean to kick you that hard."

He gave a chuckle and rubbed his midsection where my boot had collided. "I've had worse before. Don't worry about it." With a forced smile, I grabbed a water bottle, and exited the training room in search of a shower.

Making my way down the hall, I paused at the lab room where Doctor Banner was, and knocked lightly, getting his attention. "Knock knock."

Bruce snapped his head my direction before giving me a tight smile. "Looks like you had a rough night."

I could only imagine how I looked. With a laugh, I clutched my water bottle in my hands and played with the label. "Probably a walk in the park compared to what Peter might be doing right now."

"Well, it's only been about six hours, so they have a little bit of time before they reach Germany." Bruce responded.

That really didn't help with my anxiousness. I was beside myself with worry for Peter. Perhaps, if I had to admit, even experiencing a little separation anxiety from him. The past couple months, we'd been practically inseparable. So maybe this was a good thing.

_He's walking into a battle with an alien in unfamiliar surroundings and you think that's a good thing? _Oh, shut up, me.

"Worrying about Parker?" Bruce asked, taking his glasses off and cleaning the lenses on the hem of his shirt.

I sat in the empty chair next to him, and groaned. "I make it pretty obvious?"

Bruce smiled, "Just a little."

"I know it's silly considering he does this all the time… But, this time he's not.. Here, you know?" I tried explaining. Looking at Doctor Banner, I noticed he was staring at me with an unreadable expression. "What?"

"Do you want to be here?" He asked, with a slight frown to his face.

I furrowed my brows. Did I? I thought about it. I wanted it to go to how it had been a few days ago. I wanted to be working on a new piece, I wanted to be roaming the familiar streets of New York, I wanted to be discussing a new book with Ms. May, and I wanted to be walking the streets with Peter, eating tacos. "No." I said, finally. "No, I don't. But it's not about what I want."

"You were given a choice to come or stay, right?" Bruce questioned.

I nodded, and then made a gesture with my hand. "It'd feel weird to say no to something like this, you know? I know Pete did not want to come… I feel responsible for him and whatever happens now because he didn't want to be here to begin with."

"I don't know either of you very well, but from what I've observed, you have to know he probably wouldn't want you thinking that way."

"Of course he wouldn't!" I agreed, feeling the shake of my shoulders. "He's just this amazing guy who is the kindest, most caring, and considerate man I've ever met."

I saw a small smile on Bruce's face, before adding, "No offense, Doc."

He laughed, and crossed his arms while leaning back on his chair. "Trust me, I am none of those things."

I frowned at his response. "I highly doubt that."

"You don't know me." He said lowly, looking away. "You don't know what I've done."

He was right. I didn't know him. I knew of Hulk, but not really Bruce. "I know, it's just… guys who aren't caring or considerate don't generally allow a girl to talk to them about their feelings, and then offer advice."

Bruce gave a small laugh. "Well, let's consider me an okay listener. But don't get any ideas of me saying 'and how does that make you feel?'. I'm not that kind of Doctor."

I laughed. "And we can add a good sense of humor to the list!"

Bruce seemed more at ease, and almost as if he hadn't properly had genuine human interaction in months. "Why are you in here, Rose?" He didn't sound rude, or offensive. Just curious.

I gave a small shrug, and played with the tip of my ponytail, fingering the split ends. "I… You remind me of someone."

He looked interested at my response, so I continued for the sake of saving an awkward silence. "My dad. You remind me of him. Well, my foster dad. He was a very professional man, but had a really great personality when not hiding behind all his work."

"So I look old enough to be a father, huh?" Bruce joked after a few moments of silence.

"No!" I laughed, while getting out of my seat. I really had to pee, and although this was a nice conversation I was having, duty called. "You don't look a day over twenty-five!"

He waved his right hand to me, shooing me out of the room. "Yeah, yeah."

I smiled at him, and turned to leave, happy that I had made him smile genuinely since I came here earlier that day. I stopped at the door when he called my name, "Yes?"

Bruce had already looked like he was going to get straight back to work. "Try not to worry too much, okay?"

I gave a nod, and sent him a smile. "I'll do my best, Doc."

When I got to my room, and had a nice shower, I crawled into bed. My muscles ached, and my wounds were a bit tender. I pulled my phone out, and browsed through the internet a bit, and checked my texts. Nothing.

"Ow!" I mumbled as the phone slipped in my grasp and landed on my face. I hate when that happens. I listened to a voicemail May left, about being worried about Peter and I, and I felt the guilt hit me with full force. I hadn't been considerate enough to think about Ms. May all day. I was sure S.H.I.E.L.D had her somewhere safe, away from the craziness for now and what was about to come.

I hesitated slightly over the send button on my phone, rereading my message to Peter.

_Be safe. I miss you. _

I pressed send, and got myself comfortable in the mess of blankets and pillows. With a short time, I welcomed the soothing darkness that enveloped me in sleep.

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I know things seem a bit slow now, but I assure you the story will begin to pick up soon. :) Please review


	14. Chapter 14

**Oh, thank you to all those who are following and favoriting my story! I really appreciate it! And a special thank you to those who review and have messaged me, I so enjoy hearing your feedback and even suggestions! Thank you! Here's a new chapter, enjoy!**

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_"Gotcha!" Rose laughed, pouncing on the large German Sheppard. _

_The dog wrestled in her grasp and gave a playful nip to her arm. She laughed and released him, setting the hyper dog on another chase through the house. Rose ran after him, and turned the corner, immediately bumping into her mom at full speed. _

"_Rose!" Her mother exclaimed, winded, as the child collided into her. "What have we discussed about running in the house?" _

_Rose held her mother's skirt, and looked down guiltily. "Um.. To not to.." _

"_That's right, darling. Come, your father is looking for you." Her mother grabbed the five year old's hand and led her into her father's study. "Johnathan." _

_Rose's father looked up from his desk, and smiled at Rose. "Flower, come here." _

_Rose ran to her father and laughed as he lifted her onto his lap. "Rebecca, close the door, please." _

_Her mother gave one last look, and complied. After her mother left, Johnathan grabbed his daughter's chin affectionately and asked, _"_How are you doing today, my flower?"_

"_Mom caught me running. I'm not in trouble am I?" _

_Her father laughed at Rose's sad expression, as she was the master at giving him a notorious 'puppy eyed' stare that melted his heart on every occasion. "No, you're not in trouble, love. I just want to ask you something. Can you pay very close attention to what Daddy has to ask?" _

_Rose squinted her eyes, looking thoughtful. "Okay. I will, Daddy." _

_Her father adjusted her on his lap and stroked her hair. "Flower… I need you to tell Daddy what happened yesterday at dinner time. Can you do that?" _

_Rose sat, thinking. "I almost dropped my milk. And I was scared mommy was gonna be mad so I made it stop." _

"_Yes," Her father murmured quietly. "But, do you know how you stopped the milk from falling?" _

_Rose shook her head exaggeratedly. "I don't know, Daddy. I just say stop, and I picked up the cup so it won't hit the floor. Cause mommy will make me clean, and I don't like to clean it." _

_Her father looked at her, making her believe she was going to be in trouble. "But how? How did you do it, Rose?" _

_Her eyes started to water, believing she had done something wrong. "I'm sorry, Daddy. I won't do it again, I promise." _

"_Oh, no, my flower, I am not mad." He said soothingly. "Would you like to show Daddy how you stopped the milk?" _

_Rose sniffed. "Okay." _

_He placed her on the floor and grabbed a pen off his desk. Holding it up to her eye level, he grabbed her hand and spoke seriously. "Do you see this pen, flower?" When she gave a nod, he continued, "I'm going to throw it at the door, and I want you to stop it from falling, and put it back on my desk, okay?" _

"_Okay, Daddy." _

"_On the count of three. One… Two…" _

Rose woke up with a gasp in the back of her throat. She sat up, and caught her breath, thinking of her dream. A memory? With every moment she sat there thinking about it, the more it faded in the back of her mind. She ran a hand through her hair, feeling the tangles, and couldn't anymore recall the dream she had.

She reached under her pillow and pulled out her phone. She had slept for quite a time, and there were no messages. _You are the worst texter ever, Peter. _She thought as she got up from the bed. Leaning down with a moan at the ache in her muscles, she picked up her suit from the ground and began to get dressed, hoping Peter and the rest were back already.

She walked out of her room and walked a door down, knocking for a few minutes. Either Peter was a heavy sleeper or he wasn't back yet.

Rose hurriedly made her way to the Bridge, hoping Director Fury would be there. To her relief, he was and she walked up to him slowly. "Director?"

Fury turned around, and glanced at her with his good eye. "Ms. Evans. Glad to see you finally woke up."

Rose blushed, knowing she'd slept a very long time. Her body was recovering, of course she was going to need some extra sleep. "Sir, has the team come back yet?"

He nudged his head to one of the cameras, and she followed his line of vision. "They're landing right now. Stay on your toes, Loki's unpredictable, and until we get him into a secure are, there's no telling what's up his sleeve."

Rose walked closer to the screen and saw about a dozen men escort Loki as he came out, into the ship. Close behind was Steve, Peter, Iron Man, and a very large, curiously dressed man that exited. "Who is that?" She asked, looking up at Fury.

"Loki's brother."

"Is he a threat?"

Fury looked frustrated. "Not as far as we know. But like I said, stay on your toes."

Rose nodded, feeling her heart beat faster with excitement as she knew she would see Peter soon. After a few minutes, Fury started walking out of the room, before speaking. "Evans, go fetch Banner. Meeting in ten minutes."

Rose nodded, and quickly made her way to the lab. Upon arriving, she knocked lightly and gave a wave to Bruce. He smiled at her. "You look well rested."

She shrugged. "I guess eleven hours of sleep will do that for a person."

Bruce looked out into the hallway. "I saw Loki come through. Guessing things went smoother than you'd feared."

Rose nodded, and crossed her arms. "And I also guess it's safe to say it's foolish to believe that's how it'll stay."

"How can I help you, Ms. Evans." He asked after a tense silence.

Rose unfolded her arms and stepped toward his desk. "Fury wants us for briefing. A meeting, I guess."

Bruce stood up, "Let's not waste time then."

After they left the room, before entering the bridge again, Rose saw Peter down the corridor, still in his suit. She couldn't help the smile on her face, and she ran to him, jumping into his arms and wrapping her legs around his waist.

"Oof!" He huffed dramatically, causing her to laugh.

She leaned down, not bothering to lift his mask, and placed a kiss on his covered mouth. "Where's my souvenir?"

Peter laughed and lifted his mask off his head. "What? No 'how was your flight?', 'was the sightseeing spectacular?'. So selfish, Rose." He joked, as she lightly smacked his arm.

"I was worried about you." She responded, closing her eyes and leaning her forehead against his. "You ignored my text."

"Whaaat?" He said guiltily. "I could've sworn I texted you back…"

She shook her head at him, unable to fight a smile back. "You are such a liar. Typical man."

"My hands were full." Peter responded, kissing her softly.

An intentional, obnoxious cough broke through. "Save it for the bedroom, kids."

Rose turned her head and saw none other than the famous Tony Stark walking near them, toward the briefing room with Coulson close behind. She released her leg grip on Peter, and he lowered her to the floor. "Mr. Stark. I've heard so much about you."

"Of course you have. Everybody has." He said with a cocky grin.

Rose was unimpressed, and did not like his attitude, and sarcastically replied, "Are you always so modest?"

Tony stopped and turned to Peter. "Nice pickin', Web boy. Red heads are always the feistiest. If you know what I mean." He added with a wink.

"You should know, since my sister works for you right?" Rose said, ignoring the innuendo, and catching up with him as he continued walking. Peter and Coulson tailed behind.

Tony barely glanced at her and said, "A lot of people work for me, kid."

"But isn't Virginia Potts your assistant?" She asked, looking up at him.

At this, Tony stopped completely and faced her. He looked her up and down, and spoke. "So you're the kid sister. I thought you'd be taller."

Rose's eyes widened slightly. "Wait- how do you know about me? Has she talked about me?"

"Well, first of all, I do look up every deep, dark secret of my employees, and second, I'd be a bad boyfriend if I didn't know of my girlfriend's long, lost family. Also, she's CEO now, not assistant."

Rose looked down, wondering if Virginia had spoken of her, or he just knew of her through snooping. "Does she ever talk about meeting me?"

"Not really."

Rose felt a pang in her chest. Why would she feel bad? She was happy. She had a good life, and she didn't need a sister. Not really. But it'd feel nice if she could have one…

Peter put a hand on her shoulder, and sent a glare at Tony. It didn't matter because the older man paid no attention, and continued his talk with Agent Coulson as the two entered the briefing room.

"You okay?" Peter asked, searching her face.

"Yeah," Rose gave a weak smile. She wasn't lying. She was a bit hurt at what might never be, but okay? Yeah, she was okay. "I'm fine."

Peter hugged her, and felt a heat spread through his chest at the feeling of her arms around his waist with her face buried in his chest. "Let's go, we're already late for the meeting."

Rose nodded into his chest and groaned. "I wish they'd let us eat something before this meeting."

Peter chuckled as they entered the room. "We'll eat afterwards."

"Ugh, fine. Let's go."

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	15. Chapter 15

**THANK YOU TO ALL WHO ARE READING THIS STORY, YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST! **

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Upon walking in the room, I knew we were a little late as everyone was looking extraordinarily serious, and Tony and Bruce were now shaking hands. "It's good to meet you Dr. Banner. Your work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled. And, I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster."

I refrained from rolling my eyes, but Peter seemed to think it was humorous as he cracked a smile.

Bruce looked down, "..Thanks."

Director Fury walked in behind Peter and I, almost startling me as he spoke loudly. "Dr. Banner is only here to track the cube. I was hoping you and Parker might join him. The three of you."

Tony gave Peter a look, "Babysitting wasn't part of the plan."

"Considering you're the only one acting childish, I assume you're referring to Bruce and I taking care of you?" Peter retorted, crossing his arms. I looked up at Peter, fighting off a smile.

Tony walked closer to Peter, with his finger pointing at him. "You're growing on me, Webster."

As Steve and Fury spoke, I felt a pressure on my head. Almost like a penetration in my mind. Looking around, it didn't seem anything was wrong... What was this feeling? I clenched my jaw, this feeling was new... It was uncomfortable, like someone was trying to find me... I reached up and rubbed my temple, hearing something about monkeys.

Tony turned from Peter to Bruce, "Shall we play, Doctor?"

"Let's play some."

Tony looked expectantly at Peter. "You coming?"

I must have been slightly zoned out from focusing on the weird pressure of my head, because I practically jumped a foot in the air out of fright when the hand of Mr. Stark was waving it in front of my face. "Whoa, you better check your girl before you come to the lab, Webster."

I avoided Peter's concerned gaze, and smiled at Bruce who hesitantly put his hand on my shoulder. "You okay, Rose?"

I smiled at the three of them, thankful everyone else in the room were paying attention to different things. "Yeah. Yeah, sorry, I guess I…" I waved my hand in gesture as my sentence trailed off.

Tony was obviously done listening and Bruce nodded, satisfied with my answer. He looked at Peter, "We'll see you in the lab?"

Peter gave a single nod, and leaned toward me as the two left. "Hey, you okay? You looked kind of out of it for a second. Your eyes got all… different."

I raised my eyebrow teasingly, trying to lighten the worry as it was unnecessary. "You just like having an excuse to stare at my eyes, don't you?"

It worked. Peter's worried look was replaced by my favorite crooked, goofy smile. He looked around briefly before giving me a quick peck on the lips. "I don't need excuses to do that."

"Oh, really?" I chuckled, playfully challenging him.

He rubbed his hand over my cheek, a smug look in his eyes. "Yeah, really."

I closed my eyes and leaned forward, hoping for another kiss but the moment was interrupted.

"Evans!" Director Fury called out, causing Peter and I to jump apart. I ignored the groan Peter gave out, and my own disappointment while my cheeks reddened as now everyone left was staring at us. I did my best to avoid any eye contact with anyone. "Yes, sir?"

Director Fury crossed his arms and gave us both 'the look'. "I trust you and Mr. Parker can focus on the situation at hand and control your hormones?"

Peter beat me to an answer, and of course couldn't keep a serious tone. "Oh, absolutely Director. There will be no raging hormones on this bridge. No, sir!"

Fury looked unamused as he rubbed a hand over his face, "Get to the lab, Parker."

"Yes, sir!"

I bit my lip as Peter kissed my cheek and held his hands in mock surrender when Fury gave him a hard stare before he turned and jogged out of the room. Of course, Director Fury then turned his eye on me and raised a brow.

"What?" I defended, raising my hands.

"Training room with Natasha. Now."

I scrunched my face in distaste. "Ugh. Not the training room."

I stopped my whinging, and followed Agent Romanov. I didn't like the training room.

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**Ugh, I can't wait till I get deeper in the story, you guys! Please review! Thanks! **


	16. Chapter 16

You guys are simply the best! Please enjoy a new chapter! Also, I know things may seem a bit slow, but trust me, it's necessary for now. Things will pick up all in good time. :)

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"You're getting better."

I looked up from where my face had been almost smashed on the floor, and glared at the mirror, where I knew behind it Coulson was observing me. "Thanks." I ground out, irritated.

I was highly annoyed. My fighting was not up to par because of this damn twinge in my head. It would come and go, and now after almost a full day and several pills later, it hadn't let up. I accepted the hand of the agent who I was sparring with, and walked toward the mirror. "Coulson, please let me take a break. It's been forever."

"It's been three hours." I heard from the intercom.

I pursed my lips. "I have cramps."

A long pause. "I know you're lying, but if you're resorting to make menstrual excuses, then go ahead and break."

I threw my head back in relief. "Thank you!"

Upon walking into my room, the bed looked terribly seductive. But there was no way I was lying on it until I took a shower. Pulling on a pair of shorts and plain white tank, I flopped onto my bed and grabbed my phone. I scrolled through my contacts, _Dad. _

I hadn't spoken to my father in over a year. Not for bad reasons, but it was usually a phone tag between us, he was always to busy to answer my calls, and I was always asleep or painting when he called me. After the hospital, or rather Ms. May, who had offered, called about my grandmother's death, I hadn't received one phone call. Not one.

Frustrated, I tossed the phone aside, and rolled over hoping for a dreamless nap.

"_Johnathan!" Rose heard her mother yell frantically. _

_The child looked up at her father fearfully from the area she'd been coloring near his work desk. "Daddy?" _

_He knelt down and gently covered her mouth. "Shh. Shh, flower. Shh." _

_The sound of angry voices and glass from a window being shattered echoed in the large house. Rose felt the tears well up in her eyes and turned to her father again. "Daddy…" She whispered again, frightened. Jonathan gathered her in his arms and ran out of his office, meeting her mother in the hall. _

"_Stop supporting these freaks!"_

"_We can' t trust these muties!"_

"_If you're for them, you're against us!" _

_Rose buried her head in her dad's neck as she heard the angry yells from below. Jonathan turned to his wife, "Grab the reports on my desk and meet me in the garage. Hurry!" _

_Her mother grabbed the stack of folders on the desk, and ran to the garage. Her husband was buckling in their daughter, whispering calming things to her. "It's okay. All is well."_

_Rose sniffed and nodded her head. "Is this my fault?" _

_Rebecca looked at Jon, "No," He said adamantly. "Absolutely not. Sometimes people just can't accept those who are special." _

"_Let's go." Rebecca said sharply. Her husband climbed into the driver's seat and opened the garage door, praying the crowd of people would evade a moving vehicle as he backed out. On the road, Rebecca gave a wary look to her scared daughter. "Jon…" _

"_I know!" He snapped, causing her to jump. "I know." He repeated, more calmly, making sure he hadn't startled Rose. "I meant to put away the files, but how was I to know Corrine was going to be snooping through my office!" _

"_She's the cleaning lady, Jon!" Rebecca replied, scathingly. "I can't take this anymore! We can't have her here! It's dangerous for us!" _

"_What about her, Rebecca!?" Jonathan responded, angry. "You want to just put her back in the foster care!?" _

"_That's not what I'm saying, Jonathan, and you know it! She needs to be in a safe environment, where she isn't influenced to do this stuff. Somewhere controlled and away from most people! I'm telling you, my parents are more than thrilled to take her in New York. Please! I can't live like this anymore! You obsess over it! What about your wife, huh? Did you forget you had one since all __**this**__!?" _

_Jonathan clenched his jaw, and looked in the mirror, feeling his heart break at the realization his daughter had been listening to every word. "Rose…" _

"Rose!"

I jumped awake, the dream so real in my mind. My stomach was in knots, and I felt sick. Was this a memory? Why was I so out of touch with memories of my childhood? I got up from the bed, and slipped my boots, opening the door to see a short statured agent standing there. "Can I help you?" I asked politely.

"Yes, Agent Coulson said you needed some laundry taken to be cleaned?"

I looked at the few pieces of clothes and my suit that needed washing. "Oh, um, yeah thanks. Just these." I put them in a bag and handed it over. The man walked away, leaving me standing at my door, reeling from my own thoughts. Wanting to clear my mind, or at the very least distract me, I headed over to the lab. Maybe something new about the Tesseract had been discovered.

And maybe I'd get my mind off the dream I'd had.

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**kindleflame5:** Ahh! Sorry there was no fight between BW and Rose! I'll do my best to fit one in as I have future chapters already written out. Thank you for your review and your interest with the story! :)

**Rissa-channn:** XD You're too cute! Thanks for reviewing!

**dontstopbelieving123**: I try my best to update regularly! I'm so glad you're liking the story! Thank you! :D

**WinterRain36**: There will eventually be a lemon, but not for a while! ;) Thank you for your review and I hope you continue to read and enjoy the story! :D


	17. Chapter 17

New chapter! Enjoy! :)

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Peter POV

Peter wasn't interested in the little dispute between Tony and Steve. It seemed no matter what was said, the pair could not get along. He wasn't perturbed by it at all. What he was perturbed by, was the fact that even Banner along with Stark, were suspicious against Fury and his new found interest in energy business and why they'd had the Tesseract at all. It confirmed he and Rose weren't just paranoid.

"Steve, tell me none of this smells a little bit funky to you?" Bruce said a bit hesitantly.

Peter could see the wheels turning in the Soldier's head, but the older man shook his head and turned to leave. "Just find the cube."

As he exited, he passed Rose on the way out and gave her a slight nod before continuing his determined strut. When the red head entered the room, Peter looked down at her legs. He hadn't seen them bare. Usually she had her suit on, or jeans. He liked her shorts.

"That's the guy my dad never shut up about?" Nobody paid mind to Tony's comment.

"Is everything alright?" Rose asked, looking over her shoulder at where a seriously disgruntled Steve had been only moments before.

"As alright as can be." Tony said, walking toward Bruce to talk. "For now."

Peter watched as Rose furrowed her brow and made her way toward him. He stretched out his arm, and felt her body press against his side. He noticed a bruise on her cheek and frowned. "How's training going?"

Rose pursed her lips. "It's okay. My legs are so sore, though!" Peter gave a small grin, and she continued. "How are things here? Anything new on the Tesseract?"

Peter ran a hand through his hair and debated on telling Rose about Stark's and Banner's suspicions on Fury. "Umm.. Nothing yet."

Hazel eyes connected with brown, and Peter was momentarily stunned at the concern in her eyes. "What's wrong?" She whispered, as so the other men wouldn't hear.

"Nothing." He lied, hoping she would drop it.

No such luck. Rose searched his eyes and he was forced to look away. "Peter,"

"I'll fill you in on everything when we get back to the room." He whispered. He wasn't stupid. Of course Rose would have to know if Fury and SHIELD were up to any funny business, but until it was verified, he wasn't going to cause stress on her. A selfish decision to make for himself, but that was that.

Rose trusted him, and she nodded. "Okay.."

"Keep it PG, kids!" Tony teased from across the room. Giving a cocky smile as the young pair looked over at him. He continued to eat his blueberries as Bruce shook his head amusedly. "I won't even tell you to take it to the bedroom because you never know where Fury keeps his cameras around here."

Rose crossed her arms, and walked toward Tony. "The more you talk, the more I question Virginia's character, as I'm shocked such a woman could stand to be around you for more than five minutes."

"It's Pepper, by the way. Virginia is a geriatric name." Tony said, throwing some more berries in his mouth. "And also, I'm offended. I happen to be People magazine's most charming man of the year. You're just too uptight."

Rose felt her mouth fall open, insulted. "I am not uptight, you ass!"

Tony seemed to be more and more entertained by getting the girl riled up. He could see the traits of Pepper in the girl, and couldn't help but feel a bit of responsibility for her. She _was_ his girlfriend's only family, after all. Not to mention, her anger was something of amusement. "Hey dear, I don't make the shoe, but if it fits…"

Peter hugged Rose from behind the waist, noticing she wasn't catching on the playful tone Stark had. "Aaaaaand, we're done here."

"It's getting pretty late, maybe we should call it a night?" Bruce suggested, glancing at his watch.

"Not for me, big guy." Tony said, walking to a screen, and moving his fingers deftly across the screen. "I still have some things to take care of."

"It's nearly five in the morning," Rose commented, wondering if they were to get any sleep at all.

Tony looked at her, as though waiting for her to finish her sentence. "Yeah? And?"

Rose looked from Peter to Tony, unfailing to see Peter's casual shrug. He wasn't ready to sleep either, she supposed. "We need to be well rested. In case-"

"In case something bad happens. Yeah, I don't really go by the rules, and I haven't had a bedtime in the past thirty eight years, so I think I'm gonna skip the Z's and continue to hack into SHIELD's database."

Peter guiltily looked at Rose's shocked expression. She stood there gaping like a fish, her cheeks flushed. "You shouldn't be hacking into their system! What is wrong with you!?"

Tony looked up thoughtfully and tapped his chin. "You want the whole list? Cause that might take a while."

"Rose, you know we've had our suspicions." Peter said lowly, gently grabbing her arm. "It's not just us who think SHIELD might be up to something. Tony just took the initiative to find out."

Peter sat back down, feeling a more unsettling feeling in his stomach about events that were sure to come. "We can't.. we can't just roll over and play hero to these people who have known about us for months, and then approach us like nothing with something this big. We need to know who we're fighting for."

Rose knew he was right and gave a stiff nod, allowing Peter to turn back to his work. She obviously couldn't change what they were doing, and resolutely decided to ignore it for the moment. She walked straight toward Bruce, sitting in the seat next to him. "Doc… can I ask a question?"

Bruce looked at her curiously. "Uh, sure, go ahead."

"What…" She grimaced, and rubbed her arm nervously. "What do you know about suppressed memories? Can they come back at random or in dreams…?"

Studying her face, he thought, and answered, "You know, I'm really not one of those types of doctors."

Ignoring the disappointment in her chest, she gave a curt smile, "Right. Sorry."

Seeing her expression fall at his answer, Bruce felt a twinge of guilt. He didn't know the answer, but something was surely bothering her. "Why do you ask? Is everything alright?"

Her eyes looked a little glazed over as she nodded absentmindedly. "Yeah…just.. Just curious, is all." She pretended not to see his concerned gaze, and got up, announcing she was going to get her laundry. With a wave to Peter, she left, her head filled with unsure thoughts and questions.

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A humble thanks to L**ift the Wings**, **Ebony95**, and **Through Jaded Eyes**; your feedback is most appreciated, and I hope to continue in pleasing your inner fan-girl! ;) Thank you all for being super awesome!


	18. Chapter 18

Hey you guys! Sorry I haven't been updating. My laptop died on me, and I lost ALL the files I had on this story! I was extremely upset and discouraged from rewriting and having to remember certain parts and lines.. and ugh just very frustrating! Plus, personal issues that have had in me in blue moods.. Luckily, my DH has been super supportive and I will be on my vacation soon, and celebrating our three year anniversary. We are going to Disneyland! Yay! Anyway, I am in the process of my writing again, and I hope you all can be patient as I redo this process and story. I hope you enjoy! Xoxoxo

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Between training, and Peter working with the science wonder boys, there was no time for him and I to get together and just be. The transition from night to day seemed to be moving slow and fast all at once. Time was becoming a bit of a different concept to me.

After a couple hours of sleep the night before, I was rudely awakened and told to suit up and get to the bridge because Fury was needing to talk to me.

My body felt sore as I got out of bed and began to get dressed. My muscles were aching and my head continued to pound with pain and discomfort. While walking toward the bridge, I paused at the lab's door when I heard sounds of shouts coming from inside the room.

"-I feel threatened!"

"I swear to God, Stark, one more crack.."

I hurried through the door, halting as I witnessed everyone arguing. I tried to intervene, with no luck.

**Peter POV**

He didn't want to be here. These people weren't trustworthy, not the lot of them. Hearing them argue, upset over the deception, the concealed weapons S.H.E.I.L.D was keeping hush hush about.

"Agent Romanov, would you escort Dr. Banner back to his-"

"Where?" Bruce cut in, Rose looking worriedly at him, and Peter barely noticing she was now in the room. "You rented my room."

"Bruce.."

Fury looked just the slightest abashed, "The cell was just in case.."

"In case you needed to kill me." Bruce scoffed, "But you can't! I know, I've tried!"

Peter felt his stomach drop as the room became silent. He would never have thought Bruce as a type to end his own life.. "I got low.. I didn't see an end so I put a bullet in my mouth and the other guy spit it out! So I moved on, focused on helping other people. I was doing good, until you dragged me back into this freak show and put everyone at risk!"

Peter licked his lips in anticipation, feeling his spidey senses begin to tingle. Bruce was looking very upset as he turned toward Romanov. "You wanna know my secret, agent Romanov? You wanna know how I stay calm?"

Peter looked over at Rose, her eyes wide and her hands clasped together near her mouth, looking extremely upset. He wanted to walk right over and take her out of this place but her voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"..Doctor Banner.. Please.."

Bruce looked at her, his shoulders slowly lowering from their tense position as he saw her wide eyed expression. He looked the slightest bit ashamed at his outburst before looking at Steve when the Soldier spoke.

"Doctor Banner, put down the scepter.." Bruce looked down, shocked to see he had the scepter in his hand.

A beeping sound interrupted them and everyone moved and spoke at once. Peter rushed to Rose and kissed her gently. "You okay?"

Rose looked up at him, and he realized her eyes were bloodshot and dewy. His heart began to race in and he felt a wave of protectiveness toward him racce throughout his body. He rubbed her shoulders, trying to calm her. "Hey, hey… what's wrong?"

She opened her mouth to speak before Banner yelled out, "Oh, my God!"

Suddenly, they were separated with a loud explosion.


End file.
